Farewell Dear Friend
by Kellie Fay
Summary: What’s it like for Raphael and the others to make a new friend with the knowledge that she isn’t going to be alive for much longer?
1. Chapter 1

Farewell Dear Friend.

What's it like for Raphael and the others to make a new friend with the knowledge that she isn't going to be alive for much longer?

Dedicated to any and all who have lost a love one. Especially the family and friends of Bethany aka. LadyLuna78. I'm sure the angels love her stories.

Chapter 1: Maggie

_five months before Exodus_

The rain pounded on Raphael's shell like a thousand marbles falling on a drum. Each one felt like a high speed bullet striking his shell. Each one made a hard thunk against his shell when it struck. Multiply that by the hundreds of thick fat raindrops falling from the sky the constant drumming made his shell, spine, bones, muscles, and blood vibrate. Raphael loved that feeling. It made him feel one with the storm.

Today, however, Raphael ignored the constant drumming on his shell, and pulled the grey green wool blanket further over his head to keep the rain out of his eyes. Peering through the foggy darkness Raphael dimly saw the edge of an equally moldy, grey cloak hovering at the edge of a shadow. Anybody else would have never seen the cloaked figure in the darkness, but Splinter had trained Raphael well.

_Heh maybe a little too well,_ Raphael thought with a chuckle. It was Master Splinter he was tracking. Splinter had been vanishing from the lair for a couple of hours every day for the last two months. Everyone was curious, but none of Raphael's brothers were interested in finding out why. Michelangelo suggested that Master Splinter just needed some space. Donatello told him flat out that if Splinter wanted them to know he would tell them, All Leonardo did was ask Raphael if he remembered what happened the last time they followed Master Splinter somewhere. That little reminder of the trouble that occurred when they entered the Battle Nexus killed the conversation really quick.

Still Raphael felt as if Splinter needed some watching over. Sure he could wipe the floor with all four of them when he wanted to, but that didn't make Raphael worry any less. So tonight, being extra careful not to be discovered, Raphael followed his sensei through the rainy city streets.

Suddenly Splinter ducked into an alley. Raphael scrambled to catch up. He watched as Splinter climbed up the side of the building and around the side. Raphael began to wonder if maybe Splinter wasn't aware that he was being followed. Raphael didn't have claws like Splinter. Climbing up the side of the building in the rain wasn't going to be easy, but Raphael had his shuko spikes, and found the wall only moderately difficult.

When Raphael made the turn around the side of the building, he paused to look for Master Splinter. He found him in the well of an old brownstone. Raphael just made it in time to see the aged rat pull a key out of the sleeve of his kimono and unlock the door. In the blink of an eye Splinter slipped inside of the house.

_What the shell is Master Splinter doing in that house, and how did he get the key?_ As soon as the door was closed, Raphael jumped down to the well and looked carefully at the door. The lock was too small to pick with his sai. On his left was a window barely opened. Slowly and carefully Raphael used his sai to pry the window open. Once it was open wide enough for his shell, he slipped inside.

He began to towel himself dry with his blanket, when he felt the air in the room change. Raphael tensed his muscle, and ducked as he felt the breeze of a missed strike fly over his head. He didn't have time to take the blanket off his head or to draw his weapons. He blocked two more blind strikes then his feet were kicked out from under him. He found himself suddenly on his shell pinned to the floor. The blanket was pulled off his head revealing his sensei's glowering expression looking down at him.

"Master Splinter?" Raphael called out. He wasn't sure what he should be asking his sensei.

Splinter sighed, and got off of Raphael. "Raphael," the aged rat said with a hint of disapproval in his voice. "I thought perhaps Leonardo was following me."

"Nah, I couldn't talk him into it this time," Raphael confessed. Then as an after thought he said, "You thought I was Leo?" He couldn't help himself. That was a sign that he had been exceptional in following his Master. A proud smile danced across his face.

Splinter rolled his eyes, and helped Raphael to his feet. "What are you doing here, sensei?" Raphael asked.

Splinter began to frown. "It is a matter that does not concern you, Raphael," Splinter said sternly. "I am fine. You should return to the lair."

Obviously Raphael wasn't wanted here, but wanted to understand. "But Master Splinter - " Raphael began, but then another voice came from the back of the apartment.

"Splinter, is someone there?"

Raphael was surprised. "Who was there?" The voice sounded like a woman. What was Splinter doing here?

Splinter signaled Raphael to keep silent. "It is merely one of my sons, Margaret," Splinter called back. "He was concerned for my safety."

The voice echoing down the hall answered back. "How nice. Don't send him away though. I'd like to meet one of your sons."

Splinter eyed Raphael up and down with an amused grin, as if suddenly Raphael had become the butt of a great joke. "As you say Margaret," Splinter said with a slight chuckle. Then to Raphael he said, "come." He gestured for Raphael to follow him.

As Raphael followed behind, he whispered, "Master Splinter, I don't understand. Who lives here what's going on?"

"You will see, Raphael," Splinter answered softly. "Come." He took Raphael by the hand and led him down the darkened hallway. The second door on the right was cracked open allowing a thin golden beam of light illuminate the blue wallpaper adorned with red and white flowers along the walls of the hall.

Splinter opened the door, and gently guided Raphael through first. Raphael found himself in a bedroom awashed with light from lamps in wall scones around the room. The room was decorated with white and pink swirled wallpaper with pink roses boarding the top. To his right was a set of dresser drawers with an old thirteen-inch TV perched on top. Next to the TV was a dark wooden jewelry box. On his left was a wardrobe of the same dark cherry wood and brass fittings as the dresser. Next to the wardrobe was a pink and white vanity with an oval mirror framed in wood with carved roses. On a shelf above the dresser was a set of three different antique model planes.

In the center of the room was a king-sized bed. The bed had a soft sky blue comforter on it with white daisies and under the comforter was an elderly human woman.

She had white hair and bright blue eyes that her reading glasses couldn't possibly hide. She was dressed in a lavender bed gown, and was smiling brightly at Raphael.

"Hello dear," The woman said in a kindly voice. "I'm Margaret. Well I guess I'd be your Aunt Margaret, but you wouldn't know that, would you? I suppose not. You see Splinter here talks an awful lot about you four, and I dare say most likely he said very little about me."

"You can say that again," Raphael said with a grin. Splinter glared at him while Margaret laughed merrily.

"Dear Splinter worries so much about you four. He didn't think it was a good idea for you to visit me all the time. The neighbors might have seen you. Now which one are you?"

Raphael was completely taken aback by her friendly tone, and her complete lack of fear. "Um . . . I'm Raphael," He answered a little subdued. "If you don't mind my asking, why are you my Aunt Margaret?"

Margaret looked slightly crestfallen at that. "Oh I suppose you wouldn't know, would you. Splinter and I have been friends for a very long time; even before he found you and your brothers."

"Before -" Raphael tried to digest this slowly. "That would mean you knew him before -"

"Before he changed of course," Margaret finished for him, smiling gently at his confusion.

Splinter coughed to get Raphael's attention. "Margaret used to clean the apartment of my Master, Hamato Yoshi."

"Poor Yoshi," Margaret said with a sad sigh. "He was such a dear. He would cook such wonderful lunches for me when I came to clean, and he would have Splinter do the most amusing little tricks."

Raphael bit his lip to keep from laughing. He wasn't sure he heard that right. "Tricks?" He asked.

Splinter folded his arms over his chest and tried to look stern. "I recall you not liking me very well back then," he reminded her. "Performing for you soon made you think of me more as a pet, and less of a pest."

Margaret chuckled at that. "And you were clever enough to know it too, even back then." She turned his attention back to Raphael. "He used to get out of this cage and run about the room all the time. Eventually he'd appear all of a sudden out of nowhere, and before I could scream or take a broomstick to him, he'd look right at me with those sharp little eyes and do a back flip, then run back to his own cage."

_Oh wait until the others hear this._ Raphael thought with glee. It was all he could do not to burst out laughing. Splinter looked as if he wished that Margaret had not told that particular story. Even so Splinter reached out, and took Margaret's hand. "I often thank fate that the day The Shredder came to kill my Master Yoshi, you had called to tell him you could not come to clean that day. Master Yoshi would not have wished harm to come to you."

Margaret sighed sadly, and leaned back on her pile of pillows. "There are many times I wished I had been there, dear. I may not be a ninja warrior, but I know how to dial 911 with the best of them, and at least I would have found you and taken you home with me. I had well lost my fear of rats by then."

"But how did you hook up again?" Raphael asked puzzled. "I mean after we was mutated; I'm sure Master Splinter didn't go looking for you."

"I did not," Splinter said firmly. "It was fate that caused our paths to cross again." He glanced over at Raphael was waiting to hear the whole story. "It was six, no nearly seven years since The Shredder had killed Master Yoshi. You four were still too young to go above, and I was scavenging for food and supplies. Suddenly I heard footsteps running in my direction. Quickly I hid myself behind the trash pails, and watched as Margaret ran into the alley. Five men entered the alley after her, and it was clear they meant her harm, so I attacked them, and drove them away."

Raphael smiled at that. Even though his sensei always preached non violence, anyone on the wrong end of Splinter's fist didn't remain standing for long.

"Once I had cleared the alley of attackers, I realized that Margaret had seen me." Splinter finished grinning at his old friend.

"Nearly died of fright right then and there," Margaret said smiling as well. "It took quite a bit of convincing on Splinter's part that at least one of my two dear friends had survived the attack of those awful Foot people, and had changed so much." Margaret chuckled warmly. "Well of course I insisted he see me home, and after a few cups of tea I managed to get the whole story out of him, including about you four. I invited him to bring you all here to live, but he insisted that you were all safer down in the sewers."

Splinter grinned at Raphael. "I did not wish to inflict four rambunctious boys on my old friend," he told him. "Especially when two of them were notorious home wreckers."

Raphael knew who he was talking about too. Splinter was getting a mild revenge for being embarrassed earlier. Raphael knew that between himself and Michelangelo Splinter had to replace broken furniture again and again.

"Oh, but they're grown up now," Margaret said. "I'm sure they won't damage anything now."

Raphael bit his lip to keep from laughing again. _That's cause she hasn't met Mikey_, he thought to himself.

"Margaret," Splinter said firmly. "I do not think it is a good idea for you to have too many visitors in your condi-"

"Nonsense!" Margaret answered sharply, yet still kindly. "It's high time I meet your sons!"

With a sightly frustrated sigh Splinter asked. "Are you sure that will be a good idea?"

With a wide smile, and pat on his hands, Margaret said, "I can't wait to meet them!"

"Very well," the aged rat said. "Tomorrow I shall bring my sons, and you shall meet them all. Now I shall warm up your meal. Raphael, shall keep you company."

Splinter left the room indicating to Raphael that he should remain behind. Uncertain of what to do, Raphael stood there awkwardly looking at the old woman slightly embarrassed.

Margaret saved him by shifting over in the bed and patting the side where she had moved from. "Come sit down, dear. I'm sure you have a lot of questions that you didn't want to ask around Splinter"

Raphael smiled in spite of himself, and sat on the edge of the bed where she indicated. He wasn't sure what to ask first, but then he finally said, "Did you really go after Master Splinter with a broom?"

By the time Splinter had returned with Margaret's meal, Margaret felt like an old friend. She told Raphael stories about Splinter and Hamato Yoshi that Raphael would never have been able to imagine.

"I was ever so worried when he vanished a year ago," she was saying as Splinter walked in. "He told me he had met some of Yoshi's employers, but he didn't fool me for a second. Something had happened to him, and he did not wish me to worry."

_Yeah you would have worried if you had known that we stormed The Foot headquarters, that Master Splinter took a major hit, and almost died. That the guardians of an alien race took him and zapped us clear across the galaxy,_ Raphael thought to himself. What he said out loud was, "Yeah, we met those guys too. We had a bit of a misunderstanding at first, but we got everything cleared up."

Margarete gave Raphael a look that told him she knew that he had seriously abbreviated the story as well. Just then he heard Master Splinter clearing his throat. Raphael turned to see his sensei carrying a red and black laquer tray containing what looked like poached chicken with rice and mixed vegetables. A fruit cup and a small pot of tea balanced out the meal. Raphael also noticed a small dessert plate with seven different pills.

Margaret also noticed the pills. She sighed exasperated. "Splinter, dear," she began, but Splinter shook his head firmly.

"When I agreed to help you, Margaret, you agreed to talk your medication."

"You sound like my doctor," Margaret complained, but she swallowed the pills anyway, and then ate her dinner. After she ate, Splinter sent Raphael into the kitchen to do the dishes. In addition to doing the dishes, he also poked around a little bit. Splinter had kept this secret from them for years, and only started visiting her every day recently. What had changed?

Raphael found at least a dozen different types of pills over Margaret's sink, and they were all current prescriptions. He also found three letters on the kitchen table from Mount Sinai Hospital. _Is she sick or something?_ Raphael wondered. Splinter had started disappearing every night only a month ago. He seemed to be taking care of Margaret.

Once the dishes were dried and put away, Raphael snuck back down the hall and listened to Splinter talking to Margaret.

"I do not think this is a good idea Margaret. My sons are still very energetic. You will wear yourself out if they visit."

Margaret shot back, "That might have worked when they were young, Splinter, but not now. Raphael has been a perfect gentleman his entire visit, and I'm sure the others will behave as well."

Splinter sighed and shook his head sadly. "But Margaret - " he began. Margaret's hand on his silenced him.

"Splinter, dear, I want to know your sons before it's too late," she said firmly. "It is said that you live on in those who remember you, and right now the only two who I know will remember me are you and that sweet young lady April. Your boys are the only grandchildren I'll ever have, and I want to know them. "

Splinter sighed again, but this time in defeat. "I could never say no to you my friend. Very well, Margaret. Tomorrow you shall meet all my sons."

Raphael decided he had heard enough. Ever so silently he moved back into the kitchen, and called out to Splinter. "I'm all done in here, sensei. You need me to do anything else?"

"Come here, Raphael." Splinter called. Raphael walked back down the hall and poked his head into the room. When Splinter saw him, he said, "Return to the lair and inform your brothers of my whereabouts. All of you will be accompanying me here tomorrow."

"Okay sensei," Raphael said agreeably. He couldn't wait to tell the others what he found out. He gave Margaret a warm smile. "See ya tomorrow Margaret." He bowed politely to both of them, then slipped out of the brownstone. The rain had stopped, and a thick fog hung over the area. He wouldn't even need to go back underground to remain hidden.


	2. Chapter 2

Farewell Dear Friend:

Disclaimer: (forgot it in chapter 1) The TMNT belong to Mirage and other people sigh

Chapter 2 Introductions.

A half hour later Raphael arrived at the lair. Leonardo and Michelangelo were sparing in the main room. Donatello was nowhere to be seen, but Raphael could hear chinks and clunks behind the video monolith, that told him that his brother was busy repairing or adding to the wall of televisions.

Leonardo absently nodded a greeting, then smoothly disarmed Michelangelo of his left and right nunchuck. "You're back late," Leonardo said calmly.

"Hey Raph!" Michelangelo said. He retrieved his nunchucks from the floor, and moved to the couch.

Raphael smiled smugly, and learned his shell against the wall. "Master Splinter isn't back yet from his little trip, so I can't be late, now can I?"

That made Donatello peek out from the wall of televisions. "How did you know that Master Splinter isn't back yet?" he asked.

"I just left him," Raphael answered matter of factly. He knew his playing it cool was going to drive the others crazy. "I think he wanted to spend time with his friend alone."

"Master Splinter has a girlfriend?" Michelangelo asked puzzled. Leonardo glared at his brother annoyed.

"Don't be ridiculous," Leonardo snapped.

Raphael couldn't help but chuckle. "Well I don't think Margaret is his girlfriend, but she is a friend." Briefly he told his brothers about his meeting Margaret.

"That explains a lot," Donatello said thoughtfully. "I mean we get by okay by scavenging, but we've always had fresh food and first aid supplies."

"It does make sense," Leonardo mused as he paced back and forth. "I've always wondered if Master Splinter didn't have someone topside secretly helping us. It was always during one of his solo foraging expeditions that he would find the best stuff."

"But why visit her every night now?" Michelangelo asked. "He had to know we'd find out about her."

Raphael bit his lower lip pensively, and hoped Splinter wouldn't get back before he told his brothers his fears about Margaret. "He's visiting her because she's sick. When I was there, she had to take a lot of pills, and I saw some letters from a doctor, and . . ." Here Raphael paused. Should he tell his brothers what he overheard?

Leonardo noticed Raphael's mood instantly. "What else, Raph?" He asked concerned.

Raphael sighed. "While I was there, I overheard Master Splinter talking. He's not so keen on us visiting her, but she insisted. I heard . . . " here he paused again. He took a few deep breaths and just said it. "I heard her tell him that this would be her last chance to get to know us."

For several seconds Raphael's three brothers said nothing. Finally Donatello said, "that sounds serious. Do you think what she has is terminal?"

"I don't know!" Raphael snapped at him. He began to pace restlessly. "I don't even know what she has!"

Leonardo folded his arms and looked thoughtful. "How old do you think she is?"

Raphael ceased his pacing and thought. "She showed me an album that had a photo and a birthday card from Master Yoshi. The card said 'Happy sixty fifth birthday."

Donatello quickly did the math in his head. "That had to be more than 16 years ago. That would make her well over eighty."

"Translation, she's really old," Michelangelo added.

Raphael reached out and soundly whapped Michelangelo on the head. "That's not funny Mikey!" he shouted. The vehemence of his retort surprised all three of them.

"Easy, Raph, Mikey didn't mean anything by that." Donatello said gently.

Raphael's hands clenched into fists as he turned away from Donatello and Michelangelo.

"You think she's dying." Leonardo said calmly. It wasn't a question.

Now Raphael had a better target for his frustration. "Why do you always say things in the worst way possible?"

"I'm just trying to figure out where you're coming from," Leonardo answered not in the least bit annoyed. "Whoever this woman is, you like her, and the idea that she could be dying is driving you crazy."

As usual when Leonardo forced him to confront his emotions, he couldn't keep up his anger. He plopped down on the couch, and put his head in his hands. "Damn, Leo," Raphael said sounding miserable. "Why her? She's just a sweet old lady."

"Poor Splinter," Donatello said. "Raph's only known her for a day. Sensei's known her for over twenty years. How must he be feeling?"

At that moment the doorway to the lair opened, and Master Splinter came into the main room of the lair. All four turtles were instantly silent.

After an awkward few seconds Leonardo said, "Master Splinter, Raphael was just telling us about your friend Margaret."

"I see," Splinter said with a raised eyebrow. "But I suspect that your brother has told you more than I intended."

All four frowned at that. Trying to keep his frustration in check Raphael said, "Sensei, I saw all the pills that Margaret had to take, and I couldn't help but notice all those letters from Mount Sinai, and they didn't look like bills to me. "

Splinter's eyes narrowed. "You did not read her mail, did you Raphael?"

Instantly Raphael shook his head. "No! Of course not, I just noticed they weren't bills, but I'm right, aren't I? She's sick."

Splinter sighed sadly, and looked to the ground. "Yes, it is true. Margaret is ill."

"Is it serious?" Donatello asked.

"Her doctor wishes her to go into a hospital where she could receive the proper care, but Margaret fears that if she goes into the hospital, she will never see her home again." Splinter told them.

"What do you think?" Leonardo asked.

Splinter closed his eyes and shook his head with a pained expression. "I do not know, my son. Margaret is very sick and I would prefer her to follow what her doctor has told her, but I fear that to take her from her home may break her spirit, and she would allow the illness to take her."

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Donatello asked.

Splinter shook his head again. "I do not know, nor does she wish to tell me. April has helped me arrange for a nurse during the day to care for her as I have done at night."

"We'll help you Master Splinter," Leonardo said.

"You can count on it!" Raphael added. He was still feeling frustrated, but for some reason it helped knowing that Splinter was equally frustrated with the situation.

The next evening, Splinter lead the four of them to Margaret's home. He made them wait in the living room for ten minutes, then he appeared and motioned for them to enter the room.

Margaret was dressed in a sky blue robe. Her hair was tied behind her in a tight bun, and a pair of glasses hung around her neck. When she saw them enter the room she gave them all a delighted smile.

Splinter stood behind the four of them. In a voice filled with pride he said. "Margaret, allow me to introduce you to my sons."

Before Splinter could say another world Margaret said, "No wait, let me guess." She looked at the four of them analyzing what she saw. "Well I've already met Raphael." She turned to stare hard at Leonardo. "Now you, are very strong, and you move very slowly. You're not relaxed at all, because you're not very sure about me, but you're not tense either, which means you trust Splinter when he tells you I'm your friend. You're also standing between me and the others so you worry about them. You're Leonardo."

Leonardo put his hands together and bowed respectfully to her. Behind him, Michelangelo giggled. "She got you nailed bro," he teased. That brought Margaret's attention to him.

"And you!" She said with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "You've been comfortable here from the moment you arrived. You haven't stopped smiling, and Raphael and Leonardo keep glancing over at you as if they expect trouble. So you have to be Michelangelo."

Not it was Leonardo's turn to snicker. Michelangelo made an elaborate court bow, and said cheerily, "At your service always my lady!"

Margaret laughed in response. "And I suppose that means that Donatello is the one hiding in the corner looking at the models."

Donatello nodded and smiled shyly. "Did you make these model planes?" He asked softly.

"No dear," Margaret said a bit sadly. "My late husband did those. He loved air planes. He brought them from his home when we were married. Then Pearl Harbor happened, and I never saw him again."

"Oh!" Donatello said embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right, Donatello," Margaret said gently. "You didn't know. In fact if you like, those models you can have them for your room."

That surprised all of them. Donatello turned to face her puzzled. "Are you sure? I mean they're cool and everything, but I wouldn't want to take them if you're attached to them."

"Don't be silly," Margaret insisted. "I'd love for you to have them."

"Thanks!" Donatello said gratefully.

Three hours later Leonardo had no problem understanding both Raphael's and Master Splinter's attachment to this charming old woman. As Master Splinter prepared her dinner, Margaret showed the four of them her photo album of Master Yoshi and told them all she knew about their sensei's sensei. Master Yoshi didn't have any family, and when he was killed he had willed all of his possessions to Margaret. One set of albums had a set of pictures that must have been from some martial arts tournament. It showed Master Yoshi fighting with a pair of samurai swords.

"Where those his chosen weapon?" Leonardo asked.

"Not really," Margaret said. "Yoshi didn't seem to prefer any particular weapons. His only favorites were his more aesthetic pieces. I still have a few of those. Leo, be a dear and go into that closet there and take out the wood box on the bottom."

Puzzled Leonardo did as he was told. The box weighed more than Leonardo expected, but he had no trouble lifting it up and placing it on the bed. Margaret opened the maple box. Inside resting on the red velvet lining of the box was a set of dashio. There were designs carved into the blunt side of the blades, and the handles were made of carved ivory inlayed with gold.

Leonardo could scarcely breathe. "Oh Miss Margaret," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "These are beautiful."

"Well they're yours now." Margaret said with a chuckle, shoving the box in his direction. "I hope you enjoy them."

"What?" Leonardo said confused at first, then as what she said sank in, he said, "Oh no, Miss Margaret I couldn't!"

"Of course you can," Margaret said firmly. "And I haven't been a miss anything for a long time. You can call me Maggie." She took the case back for a moment closed it then pressed it back into Leonardo's hands. "I want someone to have them that will appreciate them. They deserve better than to be stuck in my closet."

Leonardo stared at the case in his hands. "Miss . . . I mean Maggie, I don't know what to say."

"You could try thank you, Leo" Michelangelo teased.

With a slight flush to his cheeks Leonardo bowed to Margaret. "Thank you Maggie," he said.

Raphael suddenly scowled. "I know what to say, or better yet what to ask," he said keeping his voice just in the polite range. "I wanna know why your giving your stuff away. Don't you want is anymore?"

Margaret eyed Raphael sadly, "I want to make sure that some of my treasured items find owners who will love them as I have. She looked at all of them. I know you talked to Splinter about my illness."

All four of them shuffled their feet embarrassed. "Is it serious?" Donatello asked.

"I'm afraid so," Margaret answered.

"Shouldn't you like be in a hospital or something?" Michelangelo asked.

Margaret shook her head in a definite no. "It would only delay the inevitable, and I hate hospitals. If I'm going to die, I want to die in my own home surrounded by people who care about me. Now lets not talk about it any longer."

Since the four of them really didn't want to talk about it either, they let the subject drop.

By the time Splinter came in with her dinner they had changed the subject to something milder. Michelangelo, always the entertainer, was telling her about how they saved the city of Beijing.

"And then Donnie made some kind of energy surge thingie that not only stopped the super mousers in their tracks it also made sure that The Foot couldn't use that anti gravity generator again."

"Oh my!" Margaret said clearly enthralled by the story. "How did you ever get back to New York? And what happened to that dear girl Kurai?"

"Kurai got us back," Leonardo answered with a slight grin. "She arranged it so that the four of us were able to sneak on the jet that took her and Doctor Chapman back to New York. We had to hide on the plane, but at least Hun wasn't there to throw us off again."

"Thank goodness," Maggie said, "And Kurai?"

Leonardo sighed. "She went back to the Shredder. She could have left him. He thought she was dead. I don't understand why she went back to him."

"She told you why Leo," Raphael said surprisingly civil. "Give her time, eventually The Shredder will betray her and she'll come around."

"You should not be telling Margaret such tales," Splinter said crossly. "You will upset her."

"Don't be silly, Splinter," Margaret said laughing warmly. "Your sons lead fascinating lives."

"Hmmmm Perhaps a little too fascinating." Splinter muttered. Once Margaret was done eating, Splinter said, "Now I wish for some time with Margaret myself. I will see you at home."

"But, please, do come tomorrow," Margarete insisted. Splinter threw her a look but he didn't contradict her.

Leonardo and the others bowed politely and left. Later that night Leonardo was cleaning up the main room when Splinter came in. Splinter raised an eyebrow as he watched Leonardo sweep the dust and crumbs into a small pile. All four of them hated household chores.

"Don and I figured we'd give you a hand since your going to be busy with Maggie." Leonardo answered the unasked question the sad expression on his sensei's face made Leonardo stopped worried. "Sensei is Margaret all right?"

Only then did Splinter notice the worried expression. "For now she is fine, but in the last few weeks I have seen her strength fading. I fear that very soon she shall leave this life."

She hadn't seemed very sick to Leonardo, but he knew that Splinter had known Margarete for years. Little things the four of them might miss would be quiet visible to Splinter. "Maybe we shouldn't visit her so much," Leonardo said thoughtfully. "I don't want us to wear her out."

Splinter gave Leonardo a gentle smile. "No my son. Today you made Margaret very happy. She told me that she greatly enjoyed your company, and that of your brothers. You were a welcome distraction for her. Lately she had been dwelling on her death, and it worries her."

"Was she trying to put on a brave front for our sake?" Leonardo asked? When Splinter nodded Leonardo put down the broom, and went to comfort his father. "Whatever you want us to do Sensei, we'll do."

Later laying on his bed, Leonardo thought about all he had learned in the past twenty four hours. He felt bad for Splinter who didn't know what he could do for his dear friend Margaret. Leonardo put another talk with Donatello on his mental 'things to do tomorrow' list, and he made a notation to talk to Raphael and Michelangelo as well. Splinter was going to need their help just as much as Maggie did. That included making Maggie feel better about her impending situation.

_Well that's one thing I know I can do,_ he thought as he allowed sleep to claim him. _There is nothing like almost dying to make a person unafraid of death._


	3. Chapter 3

Farewell Dear Friend

Disclaimer: The TMNT and all related characters belong to Mirage

Special thanks to Reibeauchaser for editing.

Chapter 3 Leo Tells A Story

Early the next day, Leonardo slipped away from the lair before dark. He made his way through the sewers to a manhole hidden between two buildings. Splinter had told them that Margaret always left one window unlocked for them. Leonardo found it with ease and slipped into the house. Once inside, Leonardo heard a man's voice speaking.

"I still don't understand what this one account is for, Maggie," the voice said. "All the documentation say is that the O'Neil girl is maintaining the account. Is she –"

"No, Matthew, April is not shaking me down for money," Maggie's voice insisted. "April is handling the estate sale, and she is getting twenty percent of the profits, but my home account is for someone else. She is just taking care of it for some mutual friends of ours."

"And these friends are?" The man's voice asked.

Suddenly Leonardo had an idea of who that account was for. _She's leaving us money? Why? _

"I can't tell you about them," Maggie said. "I've been helping them for several years now, and I want them taken care of after I'm gone. They introduced me to April. She's the only one who can help them."

"Do I want to know why?" The man asked.

"You could say they are Yoshi's grandsons," Maggie answered. Leonardo wondered how long Maggie could talk around the subject.

"Yoshi Hamato didn't leave any family. He never had a wife or children. Unless this is a TCRI thing." When Maggie didn't answer the man's voice said, "It is a TCRI thing."

"I suppose," Maggie answered, "but they never knew about Yoshi's employers until recently. Please Matthew, try to understand. He and his boys are very shy and reclusive by necessity. They're very kind and deserve help. Don't fight me on this."

Leonardo heard the man sigh. "I could never say no to you, Maggie. All right, I'll agree not to contest the will."

"Thank you, my friend," Maggie said earnestly. "Now I've kept you long enough. Say hello to Katherine and the children for me."

"Good night, Maggie," The man said. Leonardo heard footsteps coming down the hall. Leonardo hid in the kitchen, and watched as a well-dressed gentleman in a black wool suit and a ring of black and gray hair around a balding head walked past. The man stopped for a moment as if he heard something. Leonardo held perfectly still in the shadows of the kitchen not even breathing.

After a few seconds, the man in black walked away. Leonardo didn't move a muscle until he heard the front door open and close, and he was positive the house was silent. Only then did Leonardo move from his hiding place, and moved to the open doorway into Maggie's bedroom.

Maggie was in her bed as always. Today she was dressed in green and yellow. Her eyeglasses were almost falling off the bridge of her nose. She was reading a book, and as she turned the pages, she pushed her glasses further up on her face.

Politely, Leonardo knocked on the open door. Maggie looked up from her reading and smiled in delight at him.

"Why Leonardo! What a lovely surprise! I didn't expect you or your brothers until later!"

"Hey, Maggie," Leonardo said shyly closing the door behind him. "Um, the others aren't here yet. I kinda wanted to talk to you alone."

"You sound so serious," Maggie said worriedly. "What's the problem dear? Is Splinter being too hard on you or something?"

Leonardo pursed his lips and tried not to laugh at the idea that he would complain about Splinter. "No, that's not it," he said unable to keep the amusement out of his voice. "But first, who was that guy who was here?"

"That was Matthew, my lawyer," she answered then more worried, "Don't tell me you were in the house while Matthew was! What if he saw you?"

"I am a ninja," Leonardo said, as matter of fact. "He went right by me, and didn't see anything. I guess you were going over your will with him? You were talking about leaving money to April."

Maggie sighed sadly. Leonardo knew she didn't want to talk about her death, but this would allow him to lead into the topic that he wanted.

"He's worried about a special account I've set up for you four and Splinter." Before Leonardo could protest, Maggie said quickly. "Now don't you dare tell me that I shouldn't do that. It's my money and after I'm gone, I shan't need it. Most of my money is going to charity. So will the proceeds from the estate sale after April's commission, but you boys have been getting food and supplies from me since you were very small, and if my renting this old house will keep you in milk and band aids, then don't argue."

Leonardo couldn't help but grin. "Yes ma'am," he said giving her a mock salute.

"And don't you tell Splinter either." Maggie said, the harshness of her tone softened by a giggle and a grin. "The old dear, he's too proud to accept money, but he's never won an argument with me when I've put a package in his hands."

"I'll bet," Leonardo said appreciatively. "You're a pretty hard person to say no to."

Maggie nodded. "So the house is in April's name, in trust for you five. The rent money will be in a special account that only she has access to, and she can buy you whatever you boys need. "

"Thank you," Leonardo said earnestly. "I know you've helped us a lot over the years, but don't tell Don or Mikey either. Otherwise they'll keep April buying tech and video games, and not saving for emergencies."

"As long as you don't tell Splinter." Maggie said with a chuckle. "I don't want to have to fight with him about it. He so hates to accept help."

"I guess," Leonardo said with a shrug. "I know he worries about you. He told me that you were trying to be brave for our sakes."

"The tattler," Maggie said with a smile. "I don't want you boys to worry about me. I've had a long full life. I have absolutely no regrets."

Leonardo gave Maggie an amused glance. "No regrets at all?" he asked.

"Not at all," Maggie insisted, and then sadly she said, "I only wish I knew if there was something more out there. When I close my eyes for the last time, will that truly be the end?"

Leonardo took Maggie's gnarled wrinkled hand into his own. "No way Maggie. Believe me. I know for a fact that dying isn't the end of everything. I know I have some friends waiting for me on the other side and I know I'll see them again."

"You sound very sure," Maggie said surprised.

"I am sure," Leonardo answered. "I never told my brothers about this, but when the Shredder almost killed me two years ago I kinda left my body for a little while, and it was kind of hard to find my way back."

"Your way back?" Maggie asked confused.

Leonardo nodded firmly, and closed his eyes trying to remember. "The last thing I remember about the fight at April's was hearing the others talking about a fire. I wasn't quite sure where we were at the time. All I clearly remember was being in a lot of pain, but gradually the pain went away. It was a funny feeling like I was floating or something. When I came to, I was in this garden. It was full of trees and flowers, and I remember really liking it."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

It was peaceful laying here on the cool grass. The sun was warm and comfortable on his skin. Leonardo opened his eyes and sat up puzzled but unworried.

_Where am I? _He wondered. The scent of flowers and fresh-cut grass hung in the air like a mist around him. He closed his eyes and took in the intoxicating scent. Slowly, Leonardo rose to his feet and staring with wonder at the warm sun floating in a bright sapphire sky. He seemed to be in some sort of park. There were trees, flowers, and little stone paths. The only thing there wasn't, were any people, or animals. The place was totally silent. The only thing Leonardo could hear was the sound of his own breathing.

_I have to find Master Splinter and my brothers,_ Leonardo thought to himself. There wasn't really any urgency to the thought, however. This place was so peaceful that Leonardo almost wanted to stay here further, but he knew he had to find his family. He began to wander around the park slowly trying to figure out where he was.

Eventually he came to a small decorative stream with a small Victorian footbridge running across. Curious, Leonardo moved forward and prepared to cross the bridge. That was when he heard a strange voice say, "If you have any intention of going back to your father and brothers, Leonardo, you'll stay over here with me."

Leonardo turned to face a young man in his early twenties dressed in an antique military uniform. Soft gray eyes stared back at Leonardo. His hair was brown, and his dress cap was tucked gently under his arm.

Leonardo stared at the stranger intently. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"A friend," the young man said. "Oh I know you don't know me, but I know you, and that's the important thing right now."

"Do you know where my brothers and my father Master Splinter are?" Leonardo asked.

"Yes I do," the young man said, sadly. "Come this way Leo. Walk with me."

Leonardo couldn't find a reason to argue. So he began to walk beside the stranger.

"Can you remember how you came to be here, Leonardo?" The young man asked, as they walked side by side in the garden.

Leonardo frowned. For some reason he couldn't remember how he got here. "I remember being with my family. We were fighting the Shredder."

"Were you fighting The Shredder?" The man asked. Suddenly Leonardo shivered as he remembered exactly what happened.

"Be careful guys!" an unexpected but very familiar voice called out. Leonardo spun around to see April behind him. Gone was the warm green garden. Now they were in some woods in a place Leonardo had never seen. Leonardo could see snow everywhere, but for some reason he could not feel the cold snow against his feet. April was there hovering over his three brothers and Casey who were carrying somebody covered by a sleeping bag.

"April?" Leonardo said. April gave no indication that she could hear him. No one seemed to see him at all. "Casey, Raph! Don!" He turned back to the young man who had been walking with him. "What's going on? Why can't they see me?" Leonardo demanded. He took a step forward only to find himself on his knees in unbearable agony. Every inch of his body felt bruised and twisted into knots. He heard his pulse in his ears pounding as if something was inside his mind trying to escape. His blood felt like fire in his veins, but his skin felt icy. His chest tightened up making breathing impossible. He could taste bile in his throat, and blood in his mouth, but the strangest thing was, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was suddenly being lifted and carried somewhere. All at once the feeling passed. Leonardo found himself on his knees next to his companion in the snow.

"Careful now," The man said. "You're not quiet ready for that. If you get too close you will feel your body's pain."

"My body?" Leonardo looked over again at Casey and the others. He couldn't quite see who they were carrying, but he soon caught a glimpse of a blue headband. "No," Leonardo breathed in.

Oblivious to Leonardo's presence, Casey and the others carried their burden inside, and closed the door. The young man with Leonardo motioned to Leonardo to follow him, and then passed through the door. Experimentally Leonardo placed his hand on the door and gave a push. Sure enough, his hand and then the rest of him passed through the door. "This can't be happening," he said as he saw his brothers lay his body gently down on a couch. "That's . . . that's me!" Leonardo told his companion. "Am I dead?"

"Not quite," the young man said. "Your spirit escaped your body to avoid the pain it was in. You are on the very edge of death now. Whether you return to life, or go on to the next level is entirely up to you."

"Up to me?" Leonardo echoed, "What do you mean? Please tell me what's going on!"

"Do you want to go back to your brothers?" The man asked him. "You can, but it will hurt quite a bit."

Leonardo wondered at that. Having felt the pain once and remembering how The Shredder had defeated him, Leonardo wasn't sure that he wanted to go through with it.

"Why won't he wake up?" Raphael's voice was angry and frightened. Leonardo looked puzzled at his companion who smiled, nodded, and gestured to the others. Curious Leonardo listened.

"Healing takes time," Splinter said sadly. "And Leonardo has received more than physical wounds. His spirit has also been grievously injured."

"Do you think he can hear us?" Donatello asked Splinter. Instantly Leonardo's attention was on his brothers.

"Perhaps," Splinter said. Donatello swallowed and got on his knees next to Leonardo.

"Hey Leo," Donatello began uncertainly. "It's me, Don. I know your going to pull through this. I mean you have to. The rest of us would be lost without you. Remember the time . . ."

Donatello began to talk about once when he had fallen into the runoff and almost drowned. Leonardo smiled remembering the incident vividly. He remembered saving Donatello. He realized that he had to find a way to get back into his body. He didn't want to leave his brothers yet, and he could tell that they didn't want to lose him either. As Donatello spoke, Leonardo felt a strength grow in him. He had to go back. He had to find a way.

"You really came through for me that day, Leo," Donatello said finishing his story. "And I know you will again."

Raphael was leaning against the wall watching Donatello cynically. "You've got him hanging on your every word Don," he said snidely

Donatello's face fell instantly. Angry, Leonardo stepped forward and barked. "Leave him alone Raph!"

All of a sudden, the pain washed over him again. All of his muscles in his arms, and legs suddenly bunched and tightened. His plastron felt cracked as he tried to take in a breath. His throat felt as if someone had tried to choke him. He was freezing, and felt as if was dying again. The oddest part was he had the feeling that he was on both the couch and standing behind the others at the same time. He could feel the couch under him, and quilt covering him, but he was also watching the others next to the strange young man.

"Hey, I think he heard you Raphie!" Casey said suddenly.

"Maybe talking to him does help," April said hopefully.

Splinter sounded hopeful as well. "It is said that the voice of a loved one can guide a lost spirit back to its home."

"Mind if I give it a try?" Michelangelo asked.

As Michelangelo began talking, Leonardo turned to his companion. "What happened to me just now? I felt like I was there and here at the same time."

His new friend nodded. "You were. The strength you feel from your brothers will help you return, but your physical body is in a lot of pain. You must bear the pain and re-anchor your spirit within or you will fly free again."

"That is not going to be easy," Leonardo muttered to himself. He tried to focus on the story Michelangelo was telling, which was incidentally about his ability to focus.

"Leo, when you put your mind to something, you're unstoppable." Michelangelo said. "So how about using that famous focus of yours and come back to us?"

"If you ask me, he's not coming back cuz he's afraid!" Raphael cut in, distracting Leonardo.

Instantly Michelangelo jumped to Leonardo's defense. "No one asked you," he shot back.

Raphael was undaunted. "He got his butt whupped and now he's too chicken to come back and face it!"

"That's enough Raph!" Donatello said angrily.

Leonardo waited. He knew Raphael all too well. Splinter didn't chastise Raphael either. Leonardo knew that his sensei could hear the real fear and pain in Raphael's voice hidden by the attitude, just as he could.

"Well I say who needs him!" Raphael said ignoring his brothers' protests. He had a story too. At first it sounded as if Raphael was trying to say he didn't need Leonardo's help, but Leonardo remembered the fight with the albino crocodile well. As Raphael spoke, Leonardo heard the real message behind the story.

_You can't bail out on me, Leo. I won't be able to handle it. I can't take care of the others like you can. I'm liable to get Don and Mikey killed. Leo, I need you back._ Raphael finally couldn't keep his emotions in. His voice choked up and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Raph," Leonardo said tenderly. He knew that no matter how often he and Raphael fought there was a deep bond between them. Even more than the others, Raphael depended on him, to keep himself steady. Again, he tried to draw close to his family. He could again feel every single wound The Foot had inflicted on him. Again, he got the sensation of being on the couch and standing behind them at the same time. Unfortunately, the pain was too great and Leonardo couldn't seem to anchor himself inside his body. For the third time he found himself still behind his family next to the young man in the military uniform.

"You almost had it that time," the young man commented evenly. "Sometimes it takes more than one try."

"I've got to go back," Leonardo said firmly. "Don and Mikey could handle me dying, but Raph would lose it completely. He'd wind up getting himself killed within a month."

Donatello and Michelangelo were both staring at Raphael trying to figure out why he had suddenly done a one hundred and eighty degree turn with his attitude. Only during the most drastic of times did Raphael's defenses come down and he expressed his true emotions.

Splinter placed a gentle hand on Raphael's shoulder. "Your brother hears you Raphael. He understands."

Even though he knew they couldn't see him, Leonardo nodded.

Raphael wandered over to the open window, and looked out at the snowfall. Cautiously Michelangelo and Donatello followed him.

"Raph," Donatello asked tentatively.

"Go away," Raphael snapped at them, but his voice lacked its usual venom.

Michelangelo shook his head firmly. "Nuh uh, Raph. You need to talk about this before you explode." Michelangelo drew closer and put a hand on Raphael's shoulder.

Raphael wouldn't look at either one of them. "I. . . I can't" he said.

"You have to," Donatello insisted. "Not that I believe in it, but if there was anyone who could spontaneously combust it would be you."

"No…" Raphael shook his head. "That's not it. I…can't protect you guys the way Leo does. I can't take care of you!" Raphael suddenly began to tremble with emotion, a sign that he was on the verge of cutting lose in a rage.

Michelangelo said nothing. He gently rubbed the back of Raphael's shell until his brother stopped shaking.

Leonardo bit his lower lip, and looked back at his body with determination. "Don't worry Raph," he said firmly. "You won't have to."

Splinter was kneeling next to Leonardo. "Leonardo, my son, you must gather all of your strength and face your fear."

That caught Raphael's attention. He moved back to where everyone was hovering over Leonardo. "Come on sensei, Leo ain't been afraid of anything in his life!"

"Not true my son," Splinter gently corrected Raphael. Reaching out and cupping his hand around Leonardo's head he said, "Do you recall Leonardo, our early years?"

As Splinter spoke, Leonardo found himself drawn into the half-forgotten memories. It was a time in his life when failure had been the norm, not the exception. Splinter had worked for nearly a year to cure Leonardo of his fear of heights, and in the end resorted to a trick to begin that conquest.

That's when Leonardo suddenly realized what was stopping him from getting back into his body. It was that sensation, that feeling of helplessness that the world was spinning around him out of control. Even to this day, anytime he looked over a high edge, he remembered for a fraction of a second the vertigo that had plagued him as a child.

_Then I'd remember what I was supposed to be doing. I'd remember that I could do it. I'd remember how good it felt when Master Splinter praised me._ That day marked not the end of his fear, but the beginning of his cure. Once he knew that, he could overcome his fear of heights. Splinter and he worked together to overpower the fear all together. It was his first real success.

"I can do this," Leonardo said firmly. "I just have to let myself feel the pain, and not be afraid."

For the third time Leonardo drew close this time focusing on not only Raphael, but on his sensei's story. Again, he was overwhelmed by the sensation of pain and dizziness, but this time he bore it, knowing that only by going through the pain would he find his way home.

"No fear," he heard his own voice say. The pain was excruciating. Leonardo couldn't figure out which way was up or down, or even if he was standing or lying down. Still, he held on. _I can do this,_ he told himself. _I have to do this._

Suddenly the falling sensation stopped suddenly. He was still in pain, but it was a good pain. It was the kind of pain that let you know you were alive. The world felt solid and real to him again. He opened his eyes and looked up at his family. When he heard them cheer, he knew that it was worth every ache and pain to come back to them.

"We thought you were gone, bro," Raphael said warmly. Leonardo wondered when he had seen his hotheaded brother so happy.

"I was," Leonardo said. It hurt to talk. His throat was dry and scratchy, and he was desperate for a drink of water, but reassuring his family was more important. "But you brought me back, all of you."

"You fought your way back my son," Splinter told him. "I am proud of you."

As always Splinter's praise left a warm feeling inside of him that was able to reduce the pain he was in. He felt very heavy and tired. Unable to keep his eyes open any longer, Leonardo said weakly, "Thank you, sensei," and then fell into a deep restful sleep.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"So that's how I know," Leonardo finished his story for Maggie. "When I die, I'll have friends waiting for me to help me out. So I'm not really afraid to die at all. Not that I'm anxious to die or anything. The last time I got hurt a friend of yours told me I had to be more careful. I've got too many things to do before I go and stay with him for good."

"What do you mean the last time? Do you mean you almost died twice?" Maggie demanded.

"Raph and Mikey get hurt way more often than I do," Leonardo said defensively. "But I make up for it in how badly I get hurt. For some reason people just target me; first The Shredder and then this guy from another dimension." Leonardo looked at Maggie quizzically. "Did Master Splinter ever tell you about the Battle Nexus?"

"No," Maggie answered, "But Yoshi did. He said it was some sort of Martial Arts competition."

Leonardo. "It's ruled over by a Damiyo. His son once lost to me in a duel, so when we showed up at the Battle Nexus he tried to poison me."

"How terrible!" Maggie said worried. "It sounds to me as if this Damiyo's son was quite the sore loser."

"You have no idea," Leonardo said with a sigh. "The moment the dart hit me, I felt myself becoming paralyzed. I vaguely remember Don showing up. It took everything I had in me at the time to tell Don that it wasn't the fault of the samurai I was competing against. He actually turned out to be a friend. I started feeling myself drift away again like the last time, but this time there was someone else trying to pull me back to the physical world. I didn't know who it was though, so I pulled further away from them. I didn't become fully aware after that until I heard Master Yoshi call to me."

"Yoshi? You saw Yoshi?"

"Yep," Leonardo said with a grin. "He was right there when I needed him."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Leonardo, wake up."

Leonardo sat up, opened his eyes, and saw before him a peaceful garden full of flowers. Instead of peace, all Leonardo felt was frustration. He knew what this meant. His spirit was separate from his body again, and his brothers were in the care of their enemy.

"No!" Leonardo said in frustration. "No, I can't be here again! I have to warn Master Splinter and my brothers!"

"I agree with you, Leonardo, but often a situation must get worse before it gets better." A familiar voice said. Suddenly Leonardo remembered that he had heard that voice call to him when he first came to. He turned to his left and saw standing on the grass a young man who he had only seen before in his dreams.

"Master Yoshi?" Leonardo said confused.

Master Yoshi bowed at the waist as he smiled. "Hello, Leonardo," The young ninja master strode forward confidently, and offered Leonardo his hand. Leonardo took it and rose to his feet. Once standing Leonardo returned Master Yoshi's bow.

"Master Yoshi," Leonardo said again, more calmly. "Can you help me please? I have to warn Master Splinter and my brothers. I think the Damiyo's son is trying to kill me."

"Oh I know for certain that he is trying to kill you," Yoshi replied with a sigh. "That boy is the poorest sport I have ever seen, and he knows nothing of honor."

"I've got to warn the others," Leonardo said firmly. "Please Master Yoshi you have to help me!"

"There are things that I can do and things that I cannot do to help you, Leonardo," Yoshi said sternly. "Even as we speak there are events occurring that must occur for a greater good."

"A greater good?" Leonardo echoed. "I don't understand."

"You will see," Yoshi said. He offered Leonardo his hand. Gingerly Leonardo put his hand in Yoshi's and instantly they were somewhere else. They were in a throne room decorated with pillars, tapestries, and torches. Within the room was the Damiyo lying unconscious and surrounded by the same assassins that had tried to kill him earlier that day. Keeping the assassins away from the Damiyo was his own Master Splinter.

"Master Splinter!" Leonardo called out. Splinter didn't seem to hear him. Splinter was busy trying to battle the assassins. Leonardo turned back to Master Yoshi. "We have to help him."

"I'm afraid we cannot," Yoshi explained. "As you are now, you cannot affect the living realm. I could, but I cannot leave you or your chances of grasping life again would be gone, and you must survive, Leonardo. Your brother's need you. "

"Tell me something I don't know," Leonardo said with a sigh. As soon as the assassins were gone, the Damiyo's soldiers returned and the Damiyo's son. He accused Splinter of attempting to kill his father. Leonardo watched as the guards took Splinter by force, and began to drag him away as he proclaimed his innocence. Leonardo couldn't stand it. "Leave him alone!" Leonardo shouted.

"Leonardo no!" Master Yoshi said. Leonardo ignored him, and tried to spiral kick one of the guards holding Splinter, but his foot simply passed through the guard's head. Confused he looked back at Master Yoshi who said sadly. "Your form is excellent as always, Leonardo, but right now you can do nothing."

"So I'm supposed to stand here and do nothing while that dishonorable brat throws my father in his dungeons?"

Yoshi glared at Leonardo firmly. "Leonardo, you have been poisoned. Unless your body heals, you can do nothing! And if the poison is not countered soon you and I will have far too long to discuss it."

"No, I can't die!" Leonardo said desperately. "If they know I'm poisoned aren't they looking for a cure?"

"The Damiyo's son wants you dead, my young friend. He has framed your sensei for attempting to kill the Damiyo. He is now in command."

A great crushing weight fell onto Leonardo's shoulders. "Then I'm as good as dead."

"Do not give up hope, Leonardo," Yoshi said gesturing for Leonardo to follow "You yourself have put a series of events into motion that may yet defeat the Damiyo's son, and save the Damiyo."

"I did?" Leonardo asked. He tried to remember something he had done to fight the Damiyo's son, but he couldn't remember anything in particular. Yoshi passed through a wall, and without a moment's hesitation Leonardo followed. "What did I do?"

They ended up in a pavilion full of the strange masked beings like the Damiyo and his son. Leonardo saw his body laying there on a pallet. He felt a strange tingling pain along his skin warning him that, any closer, and he would feel the pain of the poison coursing through his body.

Then he saw Usagi.

"You made a friend," Master Yoshi said warmly. "It is the bonds of friendship and family that can save both you and the Damiyo. Observe."

At that moment, the Damiyo's guards came in carrying the Damiyo.

"Master Healer, you are needed at once. The Damiyo has been attacked."

Instantly the healer, who had been helping Leonardo, got up and left Leonardo's side, and went off into a separate room with the soldiers.

"Wait," Donatello cried out. "What about Leo?" Leonardo smiled warmly as he watched his brother tenderly apply a cold cloth to his forehead. "What can I do?" Donatello wondered to himself. "I'm an engineer not a doctor."

"Don," Leonardo wanted to comfort his brother, but Yoshi held him back.

Suddenly Donatello's hand snaked out and grabbed Usagi by the wrist. "Don't even think about touching him!" Donatello said in a tone that surprised even Leonardo. Donatello was never that harsh with people.

To his credit, Usagi did not take offense. "Please," the samurai rabbit said earnestly. "I only wish to examine your brother. I mean no harm."

"Don doesn't know that Usagi helped me in the hall of past champions," Leonardo said to Yoshi. "How can we let him know that Usagi is okay?"

"Wait here," the ninja spirit said gently. He moved directly behind Donatello. He knelt down, and began to speak to Donatello softly. "Donatello, you can trust this young samurai. He has helped Leonardo before, and he can help him now."

Donatello didn't give any indication that he heard the ghost, but his expression softened slightly. "Go ahead," he said. "But I'll be watching."

Yoshi smiled, and got to his feet to rejoin Leonardo.

Confused Leonardo watched as Usagi showed Donatello how the crystal prism could find the place where he had been poisoned. "Master Yoshi, can Don hear you?"

"Not exactly," Yoshi said with a smile. "Deep within his soul he does hear me, but he is not aware that we are present. He will heed my advice, but not understand where the knowledge came from."

Suddenly a thought occurred to Leonardo. "It was you! You warned me about the assassins in the hall of past champions!"

Yoshi laughed warmly. "Yes. To your credit you did sense the danger before I spoke, but I do confess that I told you where the attack was coming from. I also drew your friend, Usagi, into the hall."

Now he remembered; the moment he knew he was in danger he had heard a soft voice in his mind that said, "On your left, Leonardo." Without understanding why he had turned to his left and blocked the first attack.

Suddenly Leonardo felt a strange tingling along his neck and spine. He took a step back, but craned his neck to see what Donatello and Usagi were doing. "Master Yoshi, what's going on? I feel something going down the inside of my shell."

Yoshi looked very satisfied. "That is very good. As I suspected, Usagi had a counter to the poison used against you. You should be strong enough to return to your body in a few hours."

Leonardo found it hard to concentrate with this feeling spreading from his spine down though his arms and legs. "I'm going to have to feel like this for hours?"

Yoshi looked at Leonardo amused. "Discomfort in battle is not the same when there is nothing more important to distract you, eh? Distance should take care of that problem."

"Can we go see Master Splinter?" Leonardo asked anxiously.

"Yoshi sighed sympathetically. "You cannot help him. He is in the palace dungeons.

"I just want to see him, okay?" Leonardo said a little harsher than he intended to. Then guiltily, he apologized. "Master Yoshi, I'm sorry I-"

Yoshi held up a hand to silence him. "You find yourself unable to do anything to help or protect your family. I understand your frustration. Come." He took Leonardo's hand and together they appeared in the palace dungeons.

Leonardo winced trying to see through the murky darkness of the dungeons. He glanced over at Master Yoshi, who pointed to a cell ten feet away. Leonardo nodded and walked over to the cell. Inside he saw his Master Splinter sitting on a bench, deep in meditation. Master Splinter seemed to be unharmed. Leonardo drew closer and then saw his sensei suddenly tense and shiver.

"No!" Splinter cried out as if wounded. "Leonardo!"

_He knows I'm here,_ Leonardo realized. He knew that Splinter could sense things that he and his brothers could not. He always seemed to be three or four steps ahead of them. It wasn't surprising to Leonardo that his sensei was aware of his presence, but it took him a few seconds to figure out what it would upset his father so.

_Oh, shell, he thinks -_ Leonardo didn't finish the thought. Instead, he came closer to his sensei and knelt before him. "Master Splinter, no. I'm all right, or at least I will be soon. Don found someone who's helping me. I'm going to get better. I'm just not there right now."

Splinter had to have heard him. The old rat calmed down and whispered into the air, "My son, you must be careful. The Damiyo's son seeks your death, and the death of his father. Watch over your brothers, guide them if you can, and return to us as soon as you are able."

"Of course I will, Master Splinter," Leonardo said reassuringly. "I just wanted to check on you."

"I am not important," Splinter said barely above a whisper. "It is you and the Damiyo who are in danger."

"Don and my friend, Usagi, are with me and the Damiyo in the healer's pavilion. I don't know where Raph and Mikey are."

"They may yet be in the tournament," Splinter reminded him. "Watch over them that the Damiyo's son does not harm them."

"I will, Master Splinter," Leonardo promised. "Don't worry I've got a friend helping me. I'll be back with you soon." Leonardo smiled realizing that his visit had helped his sensei. Splinter now knew that Leonardo would help his brothers even limited as he was. Splinter seemed much more relaxed and at ease than he had been before.

Even though Splinter could not see him, Leonardo bowed after he got to his feet. Then he passed through the bars of the cell, joining Master Yoshi. "Can you take me to Raph and Mikey?" He asked.

Master Yoshi nodded amused. "Your brothers are still in the tournament," he said with a chuckle. "I believe things are about to become interesting."

The palace dungeons faded away only to be replaced by the large outdoor stadium of the Battle Nexus. Leonardo found himself with Master Yoshi on a high wall dividing the stadium into four sections.

"Where are Raph and Mikey?" Leonardo asked. Master Yoshi smiled and pointed down outside the arena area. There were his two brothers with five other warriors, and the Geogi. Michelangelo seemed to be upset about something.

"I changed my mind!" Michelangelo said nervously. "I think I wanna fight the purple guy."

Whatever was upsetting Michelangelo must have been amusing to Raphael, because he was grinning from ear to ear.

Leonardo found out what was so funny when his two brothers disappeared and reappeared in the arena. A burst of laughter escaped him, and he sat down on the wall eager to see the outcome. "This is going to be priceless."

Michelangelo and Raphael had to fight each other.

Master Yoshi sat down on the wall next to Leonardo. "Raphael is most eager to battle your brother," he said.

"Raph has his reasons," Leonardo said. He could barely keep from laughing. Raphael had started off very aggressively. Michelangelo had to work to keep out of Raphael's way, but Leonardo knew that Michelangelo was very good at doing that very thing. "But if he's not careful, Mikey will beat him."

"Michelangelo is not even trying to strike him," Master Yoshi said sounding slightly surprised. "Do you truly believe that Michelangelo can win?"

"Oh Mikey can definitely beat Raph," Leonardo said confidently. "Believe it or not, Mikey's nonsense is partially a battle strategy. Mikey will get Raph's temper to a low boil, and let Raph wear himself out. Then Mikey will say something that will send Raph over the edge. Mikey will use Raph's own strength against him. If Raph ignores Mikey he'll win, but if he doesn't keep his temper it's a sure bet that Mikey will beat him."

Seconds after that, they heard Michelangelo taunting Raphael.

"Why? Does my talking bother you? Am I distracting you somehow? Messing up your concentration, Making you lose focus? Finally getting on your nerves perhaps?"

"Careful Raph," Leonardo said, trying very hard not to laugh. "Mikey's going to beat you if you blow it."

Down in the ring, Michelangelo continued his taunting. "Or maybe you're just the tiniest bit worried that I might actually beat you."

Raphael broke into a very un-turtle like roar, and ran for Michelangelo. Even before he hit the wall, Leonardo knew.

"And that sound you hear is Raph blowing the tournament." Leonardo said with a chuckle. This was one battle he wasn't going to let Raphael forget. Above them, where the defeated warriors were teleported to, Leonardo could hear Raphael venting.

"He could become the Battle Nexus champion! He'll never let me live it down, and I'll never be able to live with myself!"

Leonardo couldn't help himself. This was just so funny! "Serves you right Raph," Leonardo said between laughs. "If this doesn't teach you to keep your temper in a fight, I don't know what will!" Leonardo was even happy about the fact that Traximus showed up next to Raphael and they went off together.

"At least Traximus will keep Raph safe from the Damiyo's son," Leonardo said relieved. Suddenly he felt that odd tingling down the inside of his shell again. "Hey Master Yoshi, that tingling down my shell, I can feel it again."

"That means the medicine is working," Master Yoshi said. "And just in time too. Donatello and your friend Usagi will need you soon. Do you think you can bear the discomfort if you were closer to your body?"

"I think I can now," Leonardo said. He had seen Master Splinter, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Now he wanted to get back to Donatello.

Master Yoshi nodded to Leonardo. He got to his feet and offered Leonardo a hand up. By the time Leonardo was standing, they were both back in the healer's pavilion.

Instantly the light prickly sensation he had on the inside of his shell spread out through his arms and legs. A pounding headache began in the back of his head. "Okay, this is not pleasant," he complained lightly.

"Pain is good," Yoshi reminded him. "It tells you that you are alive. If you were truly dead, you would feel no pain."

"That's nice to know," Leonardo said trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. Some of it must have leaked through, though, because Yoshi smiled amused.

Leonardo glanced over at his unconscious form. Donatello and Usagi were keeping a careful watch over him.

"He's not as cold as before," Donatello said sounding hopeful. "It looks like your medicine is working."

"Good," Usagi said. "Even though you and Leonardo are ninja, you have much honor. Ninja in my world are not so."

"We really didn't have much of a choice, at first," Donatello explained. "Master Splinter learned ninjitsu from his sensei, Hamato Yoshi. Their statues are in the pavilion of past champions. As we got older we realized if the people who lived in our world ever knew about us, they'd try to capture and study us like animals. It's best that we stay invisible and hidden. Maybe if we had lived in a world like yours, things would have been different."

"I see," Usagi said thoughtfully.

Suddenly Master Yoshi turned to the door. "The Assassins are coming,"

Instantly Leonardo was on alert. "Master Yoshi, can you warn Don?" He asked.

"Yes," Master Yoshi said firmly. "They must hide themselves before the assassins arrive." Instantly the ninja master vanished and reappeared behind Donatello.

"Donatello," Master Yoshi called to him. "Be wary. The assassins are coming! Take Usagi and hide!"

Donatello sat up, every sense he had on alert. Usagi looked at Donatello surprised. "Donatello-san, what is the matter? "

"Shhh!" Donatello hushed Usagi instantly. His brow furrowed in thought then he grabbed the confused samurai, and pulled him over to a private curtained alcove, away from the beds. Donatello pushed Usagi against a wall and covered his mouth with his hand. "Don't move, don't talk, and try not to breathe," he instructed the samurai. Together they held perfectly still waiting for trouble to come to them.

They didn't have long to wait. Seconds after they hid, Leonardo saw small gas globes tossed against the far end of the room insuring the gas would go into the Damiyo's private chamber.

When Usagi saw the gas he began to struggle against Donatello, but Donatello mouthed the word 'no' and made a signal that Leonardo knew meant, "wait."

Sure enough seconds later the assassins appeared. When they stopped by Leonardo's body Leonardo saw Donatello tense for action. "Steady, Donnie," Leonardo said, even though he knew his brother couldn't hear them.

It seems the assassins weren't interested in Leonardo, though. They intended to use his weapons to kill the Damiyo to frame him. Donatello waited until the Assassins went into the Damiyo's chamber. Now it was time to move.

Leonardo watched as Donatello and Usagi fought the assassins. Anxiously Leonardo glanced over to Master Yoshi. "I've got to help Don and Usagi," he said. He looked over to his body with determination. "I've got to get back."

Leonardo stared at his form and focused on returning to his physical body. He could feel the medicines working, but the pain was still too great and, after a moment of struggling, he found himself still as a spirit.

He must have moved or made some noise however. Donatello looked over at Leonardo's prone form. "Leo?" Donatello cried out hopefully. Unfortunately, the distraction allowed an assassin to strike out at Donatello.

"Don, don't worry about me! Pay attention to what you're doing," Leonardo called out. At this point, he didn't care if Donatello could hear him or not.

"Leonardo, try again," Master Yoshi said. "You must join your brother in defending the Damiyo."

Leonardo nodded and used everything he had in him to force his way back into his own body. Suddenly with a 'pop', Leonardo found himself lying on the pallet with a horrible headache. His muscles ached, and he wished he could lay there for a few more hours.

_Leonardo, I know you are in pain, but you must get up! Your brother and Usagi need you!_

Leonardo heard Master Yoshi's voice differently now. It was as if he were talking to Leonardo from the other end of a long hallway. Leonardo tried to obey and sit up, but his muscles would not comply. "I...I can't get up," he muttered with effort.

_You have to, Leonardo,_ Master Yoshi's voice still filtered gently into his mind. _You are the only one right now who can help them._

Suddenly, Leonardo heard a dark harsh voice say, "time to skewer the rabbit"

Usagi! No! Leonardo thought desperately. Before he even knew where the reserves of strength came from, he was out of his bed, and in the Damiyo's chamber. He snatched up his discarded katanas, and blocked the blow meant for Usagi.

"I am glad to see you are feeling better, Leonardo-san," Usagi said relieved.

Leonardo glanced over at his friend and thought about how much of an understatement that was. "Maybe not better," he said forcing every word from his achy lungs. "But at least I'm breathing."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"With my help, Don and Usagi were able to take out the rest of the assassins. Then, we waited for help. Not long after that, Master Splinter showed up with Raphael and Traximus, and together we were able to stop Draco and the Damiyo's son from causing any further damage."

"And who won the tournament?" Maggie asked.

Leonardo grinned at that. "I'm still not sure how, but Mikey actually managed to win the tournament. If you ask him about it, though, please make sure the rest of us aren't around. He reminds us about it often enough."

"I see," Maggie chuckled. Then she noticed Leonardo's expression go distant. "Leo? What's wrong dear?"

Instantly Leonardo snapped back to reality. "Oh I was just thinking," He said softly. "I know why Master Yoshi didn't show up the first time, but I've never been able to figure out who the guy in the uniform was. He seemed to know a lot about me, but we don't know anybody in the military."

Maggie looked very thoughtful and glanced over at her dresser. "Leonardo," she said after a few moments, "Go into the bottom of my dresser drawer, and bring me the white box, please."

Puzzled, Leonardo did as he was told. He brought Maggie the box, which was far more off-white than white. It looked very old with worn torn corners. Maggie opened the box. It contained some yellowing tissue paper, which was wrapped around a photo album. She had not shown them this album before. It was made of white leather, which was cracked, stained, and faded in a few places. It had gold trim and a plaque that said, "Margaret and Peter March 9 1938". Without a word, Margaret turned to the third page in the album. It showed the young man Leonardo remembered from his first near-death experience. He was standing next to a very young Maggie, who was dressed in a stunning white dress that trailed to the floor. He was wearing the exact uniform Leonardo remembered. "Maggie," Leonardo breathed out astonished, "Was he your husband?"

"Yes, that was my Peter," Maggie said wistfully. "He was assigned to a battle ship in October of 1940. They were docked at Pearl Harbor the day of ..." Maggie sighed sadly. "I never saw him after that."

"I'm so sorry," Leonardo said guiltily. "But Maggie, that's him! That's the guy who helped me!"

"I thought it might be," Maggie said with a smile. "Peter loved to help people when he was alive. When we said our vows all those years ago, Peter whispered to me, 'till death do us part and beyond.'"

"Is that why you never remarried?"

"I guess," Maggie said with a smile. "I've always felt Peter near me, so I never missed having him."

"Well I'm sure - " Leonardo broke off suddenly and motioned to Maggie to keep quiet. In a flash, he jumped for the door and opened it to see Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael tumble into the room.

"So how long have you three been listening?" Leonardo asked harshly. He could feel the heat of embarrassment coloring his cheeks copper. He focused on controlling his breathing. He didn't have anything to be embarrassed about. He hadn't told his brothers about his two near-death experiences because he never wanted to frighten or upset them.

Michelangelo and Donatello looked properly contrite. Raphael was on a low boil. Leonardo knew that if he said or did the wrong thing, Raphael would explode into a full-blown temper.

Unapologetically Raphael said, "Long enough to want a few questions answered, fearless leader."

"Raphael!" Maggie said reproachfully. Leonardo turned and gave Maggie a slight grin.

"It's okay Maggie. I can handle this." Leonardo said calmly. He gave his brothers a blistering look, and said, "On the roof, guys."


	4. Chapter 4

Farewell Dear Friend

Disclaimer: The TMNT and all related characters belong to Mirage

Special thanks to Reibeauchaser for editing.

Chapter 4 The Open Wound

Once they were seated on the rooftop of Maggie's brownstone, Michelangelo said, "So Leo, do you want to explain to us what was going on in there?"

All I was doing was talking to Maggie," Leonardo said defensively. "What's wrong with that?"

Donatello's brow furrowed as if he were trying to read Leonardo's mind. "What exactly were you telling her?"

Leonardo really didn't want to have this fight. "If you guys overheard enough to want to give me the fifth degree I think you know what I was telling her."

"But that was all made up, right?" Michelangelo asked hopefully. "I mean, you really didn't walk around like a ghost or anything, did you?"

Leonardo bit his lower lip. How could he explain to his brothers that his two near-death experiences were nothing to worry about?

"It was real!" Raphael said angrily. It sounded like an accusation. "Leo, you almost died and you didn't tell us?"

"You were there," Leonardo shot back. "I didn't think I had to tell any of you anything. You all knew how badly I was hurt."

Raphael wasn't letting him off the hook that easily, though. "All that time we were in North Hampton and you didn't say anything?"

"I didn't really remember while we were in North Hampton," Leonardo tried to explain. "I knew it happened when I first woke up, but during the next two days I gradually forgot what happened.

By the time I was in any condition to tell you, I didn't even remember that it happened."

"You remember now," Michelangelo said accusingly.

Leonardo nodded. "After my experience at the Battle Nexus, I worked at not forgetting what happened there. Gradually I started remembering what happened to me the first time." Leonardo looked at the hurt faces of his brothers and said, "Look, it's not something I'm very comfortable talking about. Master Splinter knows, but when I told him I didn't want to talk about it, he dropped it, so can we please just do the same?"

Michelangelo still looked hurt. So did Donatello, but he also looked thoughtful. He was trying to figure out what was going on. Raphael just looked mad.

"So you're telling us that you wandered around and spied on us during the entire Battle Nexus and you were never gonna tell us?"

Suddenly Leonardo got the impression that Raphael's bad mood had more to do with the Battle Nexus and not with him keeping secrets. As coolly and as even-tempered as he could, Leonardo said, "I didn't see the point of upsetting you all with talking about my near death experiences. I didn't really want to talk about it and you didn't - No," Leonardo paused and rephrased what he was trying to say. "It wasn't that you didn't need to know. It's just that I thought you'd be happier not knowing."

"But you told Maggie," Michelangelo said. He didn't look quite as annoyed as before, but he was still confused.

Leonardo nodded. "Maggie did need to know what happened to me. She's as afraid of dying as anyone else. I figured if I told her what happened to me, she wouldn't be as scared."

"You still should have told us!" Raphael said, still angry.

"Maybe," Leonardo admitted, "but I'm not going to apologize for doing what I thought was best." Then with a sly look at Raphael, "Unless the reason you're so ticked about it doesn't really have anything to do with me, anyway."

Raphael growled and took a hostile step forward. "And what the shell is that supposed to mean?"

"Raphael!"

All four of them turned around to see a very angry Splinter, standing on the edge of the roof. "I could hear your voice all the way down in Margaret's bedroom, and so could she! How dare you bring a fight to her home!"

Raphael's cheeks instantly turned copper with embarrassment. A second later, the hard angry expression returned.

"Well then, I guess I'll take my fight and go home." Raphael said, making his voice as even as possible. It was obvious he was still angry, but he wasn't going to take it out on Splinter. Before Splinter could reprimand him again, he turned to Michelangelo and said, "Tell Maggie I'll see her tomorrow." He then jumped to a neighboring rooftop and vanished into the night.

"Raphael!" Splinter called out, but Raphael was already gone.

Leonardo tried to stifle the impulse to follow Raphael. "I'm sorry, Master Splinter," he said with his head lowered. "I didn't expect he'd be this -"

"Wait a moment, Leonardo," Splinter said. He looked over at Michelangelo and Donatello. "Donatello, you and Michelangelo go downstairs, and please tell Margaret that I will only be a little longer."

Even Michelangelo knew a dismissal when he heard it. With a slightly hurt glare at Leonardo, he and Donatello bowed, said, "yes sensei," got back on the fire escape, and climbed down.

Once he was certain they were alone, Splinter said sadly, "Now, Leonardo, tell me what happened."

With a heavy sigh, Leonardo said, "I was telling Maggie about my experiences at the Battle Nexus, and the others overheard me. I...I didn't want to upset them, so I never told them about it. I guess their feeling a little betrayed because I didn't tell them."

"Your brothers will forgive you, once they realize your silence was not meant to harm them, but because of your care." He tilted his head, twitched his ears, and then gave a small grin to Leonardo. "That will not stop them from worrying, however."

"I know," Leonardo answered. "And I think Don and Mikey figured that part out. It's Raph I'm worried about. He's blowing this way out of proportion. I'm starting to get the feeling that whatever he's mad about has less to do with me keeping this to myself and more to do with something specific I was telling Maggie." Leonardo thought a moment. "Master Splinter, please tell Maggie I'm sorry for causing this. I'm going to see if I can't find Raph and figure out what's bugging him."

"Very well," Splinter said. "I shall tell Margaret that you will see her tomorrow."

Leonardo bowed to Splinter, and then took a running leap for the next rooftop. He didn't see any activity by Casey's house, so Leonardo figured that Raphael went home to the empty lair.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Sure enough, the moment he entered the lair Leonardo could hear Raphael in the dojo grunting with strain and banging against the gym bag.

Silently, Leonardo moved into the dojo quietly, not turning on the lights or doing anything else that might alert Raphael to his presence. He paused at the doorway and watched as Raphael attacked the punching bag ferociously. When Raphael finally stopped pounding the bag to catch his breath, Leonardo decided that now was the time to get Raphael to talk.

"Imagining me there instead of the bag?" Leonardo asked calmly.

Raphael looked up, at first surprised that Leonardo was there. His face then dropped into his customary scowl. Leonardo could read him instantly. Raphael was mad that he didn't hear Leonardo approach. He was mad that he was in trouble with Splinter, he was mad that he had brought an argument to Maggie's house, he was still mad at Leo for not telling him anything, and he was just plain mad. Leonardo was certain that Raphael wasn't entirely sure why, yet.

With a savage glare at Leonardo, Raphael said, "Don't tempt me, Leo."

"I wish you'd tell me what this is really all about. You need to get this out of your system tonight or you're not going to be good company for Maggie tomorrow, either. I don't know why you're so upset. You've kept more secretes than the rest of us put together. I expected you of all people would respect my privacy."

"That's not it!" Raphael said vehemently

"Then what is it?" Leonardo insisted. "What did I tell Maggie that's got you this crazy?"

Raphael suddenly froze, confused. It was as Leonardo suspected. Raphael didn't know what really set him off. Leonardo waited patiently for his brother to figure it out.

After a few minutes, Raphael said quietly, "I heard you."

"You heard me?" Leonardo echoed. What did he mean?

"At the Battle Nexus," Raphael said, with his voice deceptively low. "When I was fighting Mikey, I heard you talking to someone. I heard you tell them if I lost my temper, Mikey could beat me. I heard word for word exactly what you told Maggie you said." Raphael looked up at Leonardo, gnashing his teeth with a growl in his throat. "I tried to convince myself I had just imagined it all and now after all these months I found out it was true? Damn it Leo, I heard you laughing at me!"

Now Leonard understood what was really bothering Raphael. It wasn't that he didn't tell Raphael about the near-death experience. It wasn't even that he heard Leonard in spirit. It was the fact that he had seen Raphael loose to Mikey.

"I'm sorry, Raph," Leonardo said as gently as he could. "But you had to see it from my point of view. You've spared with Mikey every day since we were old enough to walk. You know how he never shuts up during practice. You know you have to keep your temper or you're beat before you begin. You know all of it and yet you still blew the match. Raph you practically handed the championship to Mikey, when you should have known better."

Leonardo knew that he had just lit the explosions in Raphael's mind, but he intended to. Raphael launched himself at Leonardo with a savage primal roar. Leonardo ducked under Raphael and flipped his brother over his back, causing Raphael to fly through the air and land on his carapace.

Raphael rolled over onto his front, got to his feet, and launched himself at Leonardo again. This time Leonardo side stepped out of the way and tripped Raphael, sending him sliding across the dojo on his plastron.

Again and again, Raphael tried to attack Leonardo, and each time Leonardo managed to avoid the blow and force Raphael to the ground. By the sixth attack, Leonardo judged that Raphael might now be tired enough to listen to reason. Leonardo suddenly went from defensive, to a complete offensive. With two quick blows to Raphael's plastron and shoulders, Leonardo drove Raphael to his knees. Leonardo then drew his katana and rested against Raphael' neck.

Leonardo smiled, pleased when he saw Raphael's eyes widened with shock. He knew then that

Raphael was in enough control to follow regular dojo rules. The flat of his blade against Raphael's neck was the equivalent of a deathblow. The rules dictated that Raphael had to freeze where he was until Leonardo chose to release him.

"Look at yourself, Raph," Leonardo scolded. "You're completely exhausted. If I was an enemy, I could have killed you right now. Do you know what the Foot would do to you if they knew how to get you to blow your temper? Do you know what the Shredder would do? Raph, I didn't laugh because Mikey beat you. I laughed because you let him beat you and you should have known better!"

Still on his knees on the dojo floor, Raphael said, "Don't you think I know that, Leo? Don't you think I KNOW?" He pounded on the floor with his fists once, then sat there with sweat dripping off his forehead, and panting with his eyes close.

Leonardo knew that Raphael was trying to calm down. Once he was sure that Raphael was cool enough that he wouldn't fight anymore, he took his sword off Raphael's neck, releasing him from the floor.

Raphael didn't move. He simply stayed there on his knees with his eyes closed and taking in long deep breaths. Leonardo wondered why Raphael wouldn't move. Was he still struggling with his temper? Leonardo sheathed his katana and waited for Raphael to decide he was ready. Finally, after five minutes Raphael said, "I knew it was happening."

Leonardo said nothing. Raphael's temper could be winding down, or it could be gathering steam for another onslaught.

"I heard what you were saying when I was fighting Mikey. I knew you were right. Shell, I even knew what Mikey was pulling before I heard you, and I still couldn't stop myself. It was like my temper was in control of the rest of me, and the part of me that thinks was just watching. I could see myself blowing the whole fight, but I couldn't stop."

Leonardo felt a pang of sympathy for Raphael. He came forward and knelt down next to his brother. "It's okay, Raph. It was just a tournament. It wasn't important like saving the city from the gang wars or the Triceritons."

"I know," Raphael said dejectedly. "But it still drives me crazy that I saw myself screwing up and I couldn't stop."

"Talk to Master Splinter about it later." Leonardo advised gently. "In the meantime, I know what will make you feel better now." He slipped the sheaths of his katana over his shoulders and placed them in the corner of the dojo.

Raphael eyed Leonardo, amused. "You're serious?"

"We just had a fight didn't we?" Leonardo asked with a grin as he moved to the center of the dojo.

"Well, yeah," Raphael answered still puzzled.

"And we'd have to do it if Master Splinter was here." Leonardo reminded Raphael.

"But he ain't here," Raphael countered. Still he drew his sai as if he were going to go along with it anyway.

"Doesn't it make you feel better?" Leonardo asked.

"Well, yeah, but," Raphael paused in thought. With a shrug, he put his sai on the weapons rack and joined Leonardo in the center of the dojo. "Ahhh, why not."

Leonardo smiled. That was easier than he thought. "Okay then, three, two, one, now."

Very slowly, the two brothers began what they called their quarrel katas. Long ago when they were about ten, Splinter had shown them this set of exercises when an argument between them settled into a partially unresolved truce. It wasn't an ordinary kata. To Leonardo it was an odd cross between a cool down exercise, a meditation session, and a ritualistic dance. Never taking their eyes off the other, Leonardo and Raphael went though the steps of the exercise. Raphael's moves were a perfect mirror image of Leonardo's.

Leonardo often wondered what went thought Raphael's mind when they did this. As they went through the exercise, Leonardo could feel his heart rate and breathing calm. All the tension would leave his body. Looking into Raphael's eyes, he could literally see the fire of his rage fade as they went through the motions of the intricate ballet. There were even times where it seemed that Raphael had trouble keeping his eyes open during the exercise. Leonardo would watch his eyes droop and close for a second or two, but somehow Raphael always managed to move in perfect time with Leonardo.

They finished as they should simultaneously, placing their hands together and bowing respectfully to each other.

"Good," a voice said from the door. Raphael and Leonardo both turned to see Master Splinter standing in the entrance of the dojo.

"I could not have arranged anything better myself," Splinter said. "And your form was excellent."

Leonardo wasn't sure if Splinter was complimenting himself or Raphael. He wouldn't ask though. He didn't want a reason for Raphael to be angry again.

Both turtles bowed to Splinter, and Leonardo took a step back behind Raphael. If Raphael were going to apologize to Splinter, it would be now.

Sure enough, Raphael cleared his throat and said uncomfortably, "Master Splinter, I'm sorry I was fighting with Leo, over at Maggie's house. It was just that something Leo was telling me kinda knocked me out of whack."

"I see," Splinter said.

Before either one of them could say another word, Leonardo took the opportunity to slip out of the dojo.

Donatello and Michelangelo were sitting in the kitchen, sharing some spaghetti and meatballs. Michelangelo grinned the moment he saw Leonardo. "Hey Donnie, you can put your med kit away. Leo survived Hurricane Raph."

Leonardo said nothing. He examined the pot and helped himself to some of the sauce-less spaghetti. He didn't like tomato sauce except on pizza. Instead, he globed some margarine on the hot pasta and added some Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Mixed together, it made a spicy, cheesy sauce that Leonardo preferred.

"So what was bugging Raph anyway?" Donatello asked. "I mean, we were upset that you didn't tell us, but Raph was going way overboard about it."

Leonardo was not about to betray Raphael's confidence. Twirling the cheese-laden pasta onto his fork he said, "Ask Raph. I'm not about to give away his secrets. I get enough flack for keeping my own." He looked back at Donatello and Michelangelo, who flushed guiltily.

"Okay, okay," Michelangelo relented. "We're sorry, we shouldn't have eavesdropped on you, but, Leo, you had us worried."

"That's why I never told you," Leonardo answered calmly. He took a huge bite of the pasta and chewed slowly to give himself time to think. "I didn't want you guys to worry. There was nothing to worry about."

Michelangelo gave Leonardo the oddest of looks. He finished the last of his pasta and asked, "Leo, are you sure all of that happened. Couldn't you have, like, dreamed it?"

Leonardo smiled and shook his head. "The more I find out about what happened while I was unconscious, the more I'm convinced that it happened." Seeing Michelangelo's worried face, he said, "Relax Mikey. I'm not anxious to go through that again any time soon. For one thing it hurts too much, for another I think the friends I made over there would get pretty mad at me if I get myself killed for a stupid reason."

"So would we," Donatello said with a grin

At that moment, Splinter came into the kitchen. "Donatello, Michelangelo, it is time to practice. Leonardo, you have been training for several hours this evening. You may be excused if you wish."

"No, it's okay, sensei. I'll come," Leonardo said, as he finished his last meatball.

Michelangelo gave Leonardo a look that made Leonardo chuckle. Obviously, he thought Leonardo was crazy for wanting to go to practice when he had been excused.

Leonardo took his place with the others. He then noticed Raphael's absence. He figured that the quarrel kata had made Raphael sleepy, as usual, and he had gone to bed early. Leonardo knew that by tomorrow, Raphael would be in a far better mood.

With that settled, Leonardo put Raphael out of his mind and concentrated on what Splinter was telling them about the way of silence.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Raphael stretched himself out in his hammock and placed his hands behind his head. He didn't know why that particular exercise drained him so, but every time he did it, he didn't feel like doing anything afterwards. The others all thought he would go right to sleep, but usually he would lay awake for a while and let his thoughts ramble for a bit.

The other thing the exercise did was to calm him enough that he was able to explain to Splinter what his problem was. Raphael was relieved that Splinter's displeasure about the fight evaporated, and he became more concerned about Raphael's problem with his temper.

_That didn't get me out of a punishment of course,_ he thought with a grin, but he knew that he had gotten off rather easy. Even Splinter knew that giving Raphael a harsh punishment over something that upset him, was just putting fuel on the fire. Instead, Splinter's punishment usually focused on the cause of Raphael's problem. So after morning practice, Raphael had to spend two hours with Splinter meditating on his battle with Michelangelo and the fight he had tonight with Leonardo. It was up to him to figure out why he couldn't stop. Afterwards he had to go to Maggie's house early to apologize, clean the whole house, and basically do whatever else she wanted that night. He would have done that anyway as an apology to Maggie, but he wouldn't have thought about cleaning the house. He also had another idea to make it up to Maggie, but he would need Casey's help to pull it off.

Raphael yawned, and rolled over onto his side. Closing his eyes, Raphael allowed himself to drift off into sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.


	5. Chapter 5

Farewell Dear Friend

Disclaimer: The TMNT and all related characters belong to Mirage

Special thanks to Reibeauchaser for editing.

Chapter 5 The Visitors

Casey smiled at the florist as she handed him the bouquet. "Thanks, he said." He left the flower wagon and walked three blocks before he felt the pebble on the small of his back. Casey smiled knowingly and made the left turn into a nearby alley. He didn't even flinch when Raphael appeared out of the darkness.

"Did you get them?" Raphael asked eagerly.

"One rainbow of roses right here." Casey displayed the multicolored bouquet proudly.

"Cool!" Raphael said. He snatched up the flowers. "I owe you for this one, Case."

"Nahh, it's for Maggie, so your off the hook." Casey said cheerfully. Then with a sly grin, he added, "of course if you and Donnie could come over to my place later this week and fix my cable TV setup."

Raphael laughed. If it moved, Casey could fix it, but fine electronics usually ended up confetti in his hands. "I think I could talk Don into it. You got it pal."

Casey smiled broadly. "Hey, I could take you over on my bike," he offered.

Raphael shook his head amused. "No way, moron. I've seen what happens to flowers on your trips. I'll carry them myself."

Casey didn't take offense at the teasing. "I'll see you later then. Say hi to Maggie for me." With that, Casey straddled his bike and roared off into the night.

Raphael chuckled and scaled the fire escape to keep above the city goers. Once on the rooftops, he raced for Maggie's brownstone.

Raphael pulled the key out of his wrist pad feeling a surge of pride. He had been surprised at how easily Splinter had handed over the key, but as he turned it in the lock, he realized that it basically meant that, punishment or not, Master Splinter trusted him to take care of Maggie.

He opened the door and went inside. Mindful of what Leonardo and Splinter said about others coming to visit Maggie, Raphael listened intently for any voices in the house. When he was certain that the house was devoid of visitors, he moved over to Maggie's bedroom.

The door was open, so Raphael looked in. In her bed as usual sat Maggie. She had her blue robe on and her nose buried in a magazine. He didn't want to startle her, so Raphael politely tapped on the open door.

Maggie looked up and her face broke into a delighted smile. "Raphael! I'm so glad to see you! Are you feeling better dear?"

Raphael felt his face warm slightly with a blush, as he smiled back at her. He wondered what excuse Michelangelo and Donatello gave Maggie yesterday. Splinter did say that he heard Raphael inside the house yesterday. Looking very shy and embarrassed, Raphael said, "Um yeah, a little. Maggie, about yesterday, I'm sorry I started fighting with Leo up on your roof. It was just something he was telling you that connected with some stuff that's been bugging me for a while."

Instantly Maggie's expression took on one of concern. She reached out and took Raphael's hand. "Oh you poor dear,"

Raphael felt his flush strengthen. Apologies were never easy for him. "So . . . so anyway I got you these to say I'm sorry." He thrust the flowers from behind his back to in front of him.

Maggie was delighted, just like Raphael planned. "Oh Raphael, they're beautiful!"

"I'm also under orders to be your personal slave for most of the night," Raphael said with a small bow.

Maggie laughed at that. "Well then, my first command to you is to put these in a vase. Now make sure you cut the stems before you put them in water."

Raphael nodded and gave her a quick little salute. "Yes ma'am," he said. He took the flowers into the kitchen, cut them the way April showed all of them way back in North Hampton, and placed them in a bright blue vase. When he came back into the bedroom Maggie's smile told him, the flowers were the right idea.

"They're lovely, Raphael. Put them right over there on the dresser." While Raphael did so, Maggie said, "And perhaps you'll tell me what Leonardo said yesterday that upset you so."

There was a tone in Maggie's voice that told Raphael there were no strings attached to that offer. She wouldn't lecture, and she wouldn't judge him, she would just listen. Raphael sat down and gave her a detailed account of his experiences at the Battle Nexus, including when he had to go up against Michelangelo.

"Mikey knows how to get under my skin like no one can. He knows that if he gets me steamed enough he can distract me and beat me. So he starts driving me crazy waiting for the right moment when he knows he can nail me. The worst part is throughout of it, all I could swear I heard Leo talking to someone about exactly what was going on. Even then, with Leo's words ringing in my ears, hearing him laugh at me, I still lost it to the point where Mikey could beat me. For the longest time I thought I just imagined hearing Leo in my head, but then I heard him talking to you yesterday."

"Oh dear," Maggie said.

Raphael got up and began to pace around the room. None of this was Maggie's fault, and he didn't want to bring his problems to her, but he had to talk to someone about it. "I'm not even sure what bothers me more, that Mikey beat me, that Leo saw Mikey beat me, or that I could hear him, even when he wasn't really there, or maybe he was there, I don't even know anymore! Everything he told you yesterday is word for word what I only thought I imagined before"

"You poor dear," Maggie said. "Everything Leo told me yesterday to help me out simply sent you into a tizzy."

"I guess," Raphael, a little ashamed. "As much as I hate to admit it, Leo was right. I was better off not knowing what he went through"

"I don't think so," Maggie said. "There is one thing you should have learned that will help you, no matter what"

She sounded so firm and confidant about this that it sparked Raphael's curiosity. "There is? What?"

"What was the one thing Leonardo wanted to do both times he was out of his body?" Maggie asked.

Raphael was trying very hard to forget what he heard, and now Maggie wanted him to think about both incidents. With a sigh, Raphael tried to think. "I don't know," he said in defeat. "I didn't even know about the time at the Battle Nexus. I knew how badly hurt he was when the Shredder nearly killed him, but Mikey and I didn't know about the poison or anything until we were back home, but Leo didn't even tell you about all that. All Leo told you about was how he was watching us."

"Exactly," Maggie said. "The only thing Leonard wanted to do, even when he didn't know his situation, was to return to you and your brothers. He didn't want to leave you. Think, Raphael, it would have been far easier for him to let go and die, but he didn't. He didn't want to. He wanted to go back to you all."

That actually made Raphael to stop and think. Leo's story of his first experience filtered through his mind. "You know, Maggie, I never thought about it that way before. Even when I couldn't hear him, he was watching us, and he told me he was coming back." Raphael dropped into deep thought. "Maybe . . . Nahh" He shook his head at the thought.

"What is it Raphael?" Maggie asked.

Raphael sighed; this was something he wasn't comfortable talking about at all. "Well it's kinda of complicated. For the last year or so, I've kinda picked up this trick of hearing when ghosts are around. That's why I could hear Leo at the Battle Nexus."

"It must have been frightening," Maggie said.

Raphael smiled as he thought of that very first encounter. "It was, at first. I've got it to a point now where I don't hear ghosts all the time, only when I want to, but maybe I should work on trying to understand them more. Then maybe I'd understand what Leo was trying to tell you."

"Maybe," Maggie said. "Just remember that your brother loves you very much, and he never wanted to upset you."

"I know," Raphael said. He wanted to say more, but then he realized that Maggie didn't have dinner yet. "Oh man, here I am spilling my guts to you, and I haven't even fed you yet. Let me get you dinner."

He managed to escape to the kitchen for a while, but even with keeping himself distracted with work, he couldn't get the idea out of his head that maybe hearing Leonardo back at the Battle Nexus was supposed to teach him something. He never told the others that ability he gained when at the veterinary clinic had never gone away. He decided he was going to take care of it himself. After a few months of working on controlling his mind, he stopped hearing voices, but often he would get the feeling that there were spirits in the sewers who were trapped there, in the way Master Yoshi used to be trapped in the apartment above the vet clinic. He wondered what he should do about if, if anything.

Suddenly he thought he heard something in the kitchen with him. He paused and turned around fully trying to figure out what he thought he heard. Suddenly he felt his blood run cold. He realized that it was the same buzzing sounds he used to hear in the vet clinic over a year ago.

"No way," he said. "This can't be happening again." This time, however, he knew how to deal with what he couldn't understand. He closed his eyes and relaxed, concentrating on what he learned before.

He heard a pair of male voices talking quietly in the corner of the kitchen. The conversation seemed to be about world war two. That didn't make any sense at all to Raphael, until he heard a familiar voice say, _"I am glad, Peter, that you realized that not all Japanese were responsible for the war. Oroku Saki had much to do with the Japanese involvement in the war. My employers and my colleagues tried to stop them."_

"_Oh I knew all about that, friend. Otherwise, I would not have let my Maggie work for you."_

Raphael couldn't believe what he heard. "No way," he said to himself. "It can't be. We . . . we freed you from the vet clinic! That freaking dream we all had said so!"

_Oh dear, can he hear us?_ The second voice asked.

Raphael felt some unseen movement in the room. Suddenly he felt a gentle hand on his plastron. He would have jumped five feet in the air but the next thing he knew he felt a familiar voice inside of his mind.

"_Raphael, it is all right. Do not be afraid. Peter and I were just looking in on Maggie for ourselves. You need not trouble yourself over us."_

With the voice came a calming sensation that hit Raphael right in his core. He knew that Master Yoshi liked Maggie and he would never do anything to harm Maggie. Before Raphael knew what he was doing, he simply accepted what he was being told. Then Raphael felt something, or a pair of somethings, pass by him. And then they were gone.

"What the shell?" Raphael asked the empty air quietly. He firmly shook his head, trying to get the tranquil feeling out of his mind. He succeeded for the most part, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they didn't mean any harm, and they were just watching for Maggie. He tried to sense the spirits again, but he got nothing. "That was weird," he muttered to himself. He shook off his uneasiness and brought Maggie her dinner.

Maggie somehow knew that Raphael felt unsettled about something, because for the rest of the night she kept him distracted with stories about Master Yoshi. When Splinter came in at ten o'clock, Raphael had almost forgotten the unsettling conversation. It was when he got up on the roof that he began to think about the incident in the kitchen again.

_I wish I knew what that was all about. What were they doing there in the kitchen? Were they watching us? Why? _He was stewing about this when he got to the lair. He found Leonardo in the dojo alone, in lotus position, and with his eyes closed.

_Okay now this is just creepy. I just heard our invisible friend again, and Leo's got his mental 'out to lunch sign' on. _He was about to move on, when Leonardo said, "It's okay Raph, I didn't go anywhere, I was waiting for you to get back. I got this strange feeling a couple of hours ago that when you got back here you'd want to talk to me. "

Now, Raphael could not ignore the cold chill that ran down the inside of his shell. "How did you know? Did you see him too?"

That puzzled Leonardo. "See who?"

"Our invisible friend from last year," Raphael said, wondering how much did Leonardo know. "I just heard him talking to someone else invisible over in Maggie's house."

"Wait," Leonardo looked at Raphael sternly. "Are you saying our invisible friend from the vet clinic?"

"So you didn't know!" Raphael said eagerly. "Like I said, I could hear him talking in the kitchen with someone. You didn't know he was around?"

"I wondered," Leonardo admitted. "That first night in Maggie's house while I was holding those dashio, I thought I felt that someone was watching us. I would have worried more about it but the feeling I got was a good feeling so I didn't worry too much about it. Then last night, Maggie mentioned always feeling her husband Peter nearby. Maybe that was truer than she knew."

"Wait, her late husband was named Peter? That's who our friend was talking to!" Raphael said excited.

"It makes sense," Leonardo said with a smile. "Maggie's told me a few things about her late husband. I wouldn't worry too much about it, Raph. Ever since the vet clinic, did you ever get the feeling in the dojo that you were being watched?"

Raphael bit his lip and stared back at Leonardo in shock. There had been times in the dojo where he did get that exact feeling, but it always came with a "don't worry" feeling and he found the sensation easy to ignore. Leonardo caught his reaction. He smiled and said, "I thought so. Mikey says he gets it, too, sometimes, but Don has never sensed anything. Then again, he never sensed our friend in the clinic. I'm guessing he just watches out for us. You already know he doesn't want us to worry about him. I'd guess that they're just keeping an eye on Maggie too."

Suddenly, an uncomfortable thought came to Raphael. "What if it's more than that Leo?"

Leonardo wondered at Raphael's change of mood. "What do you mean Raph?"

Raphael sighed sadly. "You said in those . . . experiences, of yours that someone was with you all the time." When Leonardo nodded, Raphael continued. "What if they was hanging around because . . . because . . . well you know."

"Because Maggie is going to die soon?" Leonardo asked. He sighed and rose to his feet. "Raph, we both know that Maggie's dying is inevitable. Whether their waiting for her or not is not our business, but remember, you just confirmed to me that we haven't been alone here in the lair either, and I don't think any of us are dying anytime soon. Besides, wouldn't you want Maggie surrounded by friends and family? You wouldn't want her to be alone when she dies, do you?"

"I don't want her to die!" Raphael said angrily. "It's not fair Leo! She's never done anything to hurt anyone. Why can't she go to the doctor, why can't she-" Raphael broke off not daring to say anything else because he knew he was getting too close to his bad temper.

"She doesn't want to go to the hospital," Leonardo reminded him. "And even if she did, it would only last another year or so, and be in a lot more pain than she is now." When Raphael didn't say anything else Leonardo, Leonardo said, "Maggie wants to die by her rules, not some doctor. The best thing we can do is support her decision, and make her as comfortable as possible." Leonardo put a sympathetic hand on Raphael's shoulder. "Raph, whether or not we like it, Maggie is going to die. Do you really want to spend most of the time being angry about it?"

Raphael sighed, he was still angry, but he knew that Leonardo was right. He let out a frustrated sigh, and said, "no."

Leonardo drew closer and said as comfortingly as he could, "It will be all right, Raph. Let Maggie enjoy our company for as long as she can. Our duty is to make her passing as easy and as stress-free as possible."

Leonardo was right. For the rest of the night, Raphael kept his unhappy mood to himself, promising himself that he was going to make Maggie as happy as possible and for as long as possible.

As 'long as possible' was only going to last three more weeks.


	6. Chapter 6

"Farewell Dear Friend"

Disclaimer: The TMNT Belong to Mirage

Special thanks to Reinbeauchaser for editing

Chapter 6 A turn for the worst

Early one morning, Raphael woke up with the distinct feeling that there was something very wrong. He got out of his hammock, left his room, and jumped down to the lower level of the lair. Donatello was on his shell cell with a sad, serious expression on his face. Leonardo and Michelangelo were next to him looking equally worried.

"Yes, April. Master Splinter is on his way now. Can you get rid of the day nurse?" Donatello paused and listened before speaking again. "He'd better not show up and try to take her to a hospital. Master Splinter wants to make sure Maggie gets her way. He's pretty upset." Donatello listened for a moment then nodded. "Okay, April, we'll be there as soon as we can." Donatello shut off the Shell Cell and looked squarely at Raphael. He closed his eyes, lowered his head, and said, "Maggie took a turn for the worst early this morning."

"No!" Raphael said, horror-stricken. "You mean she's..."

"Not yet," Leonardo said as calmly as he could, but even Raphael could tell that Leonardo was feeling the strain. "Her nurse said she had a seizure, and she's been lapsing in and out of consciousness ever since."

"Why didn't you guys wake me up!" Raphael said, suddenly angry. He knew getting mad at fate wasn't going to do any good, but he had to take his frustration out on someone.

Leonardo must have sensed what Raphael was about to do. Firmly, he shot back. "We didn't have time to! Don didn't even finish the call with April until now!"

There was something about Leonardo's tone that made Raphael get a grip on his own temper. Maggie must have had a bigger effect on Leonardo than he let on to the others.

Very quietly, Donatello said, "April wanted us to get over there as soon as possible."

Leonardo nodded and led the others over to Maggie's house. Once there, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo hid in the well of the brownstone while Leonardo stealthily knocked on the front door. He jumped out of sight when the door opened, but to their relief it was April. She seemed very unhappy and preoccupied. She didn't even jump when Leonardo appeared out of hiding.

"You're here, good," April said. She opened the door wide and instantly the four of them were inside of the house.

Once inside, Leonardo asked, "How is Maggie?"

"No change," April said sadly. "Splinter is in there with her now, but she's been asking to see you, Raph.""Me?" Raphael echoed, puzzled. "Why does she want to see just me?"

"I don't know," April said with a shake of her head. "She won't tell anyone. She just keeps saying she needs to see you, and that it's important."

Raphael sighed heavily. "Then I guess I'd better go see her," he said. He moved away from the others and down the hallway to Maggie's bedroom.

The door was open like always, but the sight inside was not what Raphael was used to seeing. Maggie was not sitting up and smiling in her bed. Instead, she was laying down unconscious, looking far too small to be in that huge king-sized bed alone. Splinter was at her side with her hand in both of his. Even though he had his eyes closed and his expression was one of meditation, Raphael could tell that his sensei's eyes were full of tears.

Ever so quietly, Raphael tapped on the door. Splinter looked up and smiled, but his smile was lined with sadness.

"Raphael," Splinter said relieved. "**Margaret** has been asking for you,"

Raphael nodded and asked quietly. "How is she?"

Splinter lowered his head, and allowed a tear to fall. "She does not have the strength to stay awake for very long. I fear that her time is soon."

"Not as soon as all that," a voice said from the bed. Raphael and Splinter looked down to see Maggie open her eyes.

"Margaret," Splinter said with a gentle smile.

Raphael knelt down to take her other hand. "Maggie," he said as softly as he could.

Maggie seemed to be thinking very hard about something. Her attention wandered away from Raphael and Splinter for a moment then turned back to the pair. "Splinter, dear," she said sounding very tired.

Splinter did not wait for her to make her request. He bowed to her and said, "the others are probably wondering how you are feeling." With that, he turned and left the room, making Raphael feel very uncomfortable.

Maggie chuckled weakly. "Don't be afraid, Raphael. I just wanted to ask you to do something for me."

"Whatever you want, Maggie," Raphael said eagerly. He knew that this was a last request, but he didn't care. Anything that would make Maggie happy and content was all right with him.

Maggie broke into a satisfied smile. "Go into the second drawer from my dresser. There is a magazine in there that I need you to see."

Raphael rose from the bed and did what he was told. Inside the drawer was a wrestling magazine from nearly forty years ago. "Maggie, were you into wrestling?"

"No, my daughter eloped with a wrestler," Maggie said with a sad sigh. "I never saw her again. He's on page twenty three. The big fellow with the dark hair."

Raphael turned to the page, and looked at the heading. "Atilla the Barbarian," he read. He was instantly drawn to the man's face. There was something very familiar about him that Raphael just couldn't place. As he held the magazine, a photograph fell out. Raphael picked it up, and saw that it was a school photograph of a young blond girl.

"That is Caroline, my daughter," Maggie explained. "She did keep in touch with letters, but she knew I never approved of her boyfriend. That's why she ran away with him. The last I heard from her was a letter from her husband. Apparently she died in childbirth."

Raphael had no idea. "Maggie . . . I," he began but Maggie hushed him instantly.

"It was along time ago, dear. The reason I'm telling you all this now is that, according to Martin's letter - that was her husband's real name, Martin Castillo - she did have a son, but I never saw him, and Martin never wrote to me again."

"Maggie, I'm really sorry about that, but what has all this to do with me?" Raphael did feel bad for Maggie but he had no idea why she was telling him.

"You and your friend Casey have friends on the street don't you? Michelangelo seemed to think that you did."

Raphael flushed embarrassed. He didn't know that any of his brothers knew what he did on his outings with Casey. "Maybe," he said trying to keep his voice even.

"I want you to find him for me," Maggie said. When she saw Raphael start, she said. "Not before I die, heavens I would have asked Splinter years ago if I meant to see him. I felt that I had been out of his life for so long; it would be an intrusion to interfere now. I just wanted him to know I existed. He is entitled to some family heirlooms, and some of my money. I plan to give a great deal of it to charity, but he should know his family history. He should know his grandfather was a gunner in the navy and that he died at Pearl Harbor. This will be his last chance to know who he is."

Raphael thought about it. Maggie was right. She didn't want to interfere with this guy's life, just give him information he may have been looking for anyway. Curious, he looked at the wrestler's face again.

_No way!_ Raphael suddenly recognized something in the face of the man, something he hadn't seen before. He had to imagine him blond with blue hazel eyes but the resemblance was uncanny. _It can't be. I'm not seeing this. That can't be his dad!_

Raphael was about to tell Maggie that he couldn't possibly do this, when she looked up at him with a weak smile and said, "Thank you so much Raphael. I knew you would."

Raphael sighed, and gave in. He now understood something both Splinter and Leonardo told him a few weeks ago. _Man, they were right. No matter how much you want to, you can't say no to Maggie._

When Raphael joined the others in the living room, everyone looked at Raphael expectantly, but no one said a word. It only took a few seconds for Raphael to understand what no one wanted to ask.

"She's still with us," Raphael said flatly. "She . . . she just wanted to ask me for a favor."

Leonardo was the first to speak. He rose from the couch and slowly moved toward Raphael. "Raph," Leonardo asked uncertainly.

"I'll tell you later Leo," Raphael said. He had already made his decision. If he was right about the identity of Maggie's grandson, he was going to need at least Leonardo's help to find out the truth.

When dawn came, nobody wanted to leave. Casey came over and stayed with them. At ten that morning they heard a knock on the door. Instantly, the four and Splinter hid within the house, while April answered the door. It was Matthew Connor, the lawyer.

"Miss O'Neil," he said flatly.

"Mister Connor," she said as pleasantly as she could. "Maggie is still lapsing in and out of consciousness."

"You fired the nurse," Mister Connor said sternly.

"No," April said a little testy now at the implication. "She's on leave. Maggie wanted her friends here, and having too many strangers around makes them nervous. They've been taking care of her in the evenings after the nurse goes home, anyway."

"Where are they now?" Mister Conner asked.

"They're here," Casey said in a slightly hostile tone. "They just don't want to be seen." Now the lawyer sighed. "I wish I knew what was so special about TCRI that Maggie insisted on keeping it a secret." He said. "The government is still investigating what happened at that building."

"I know," April said, "But that's going to be difficult. The people who worked there are long gone, and they probably won't be back."

"I'm sure," the lawyer said firmly. "I would just feel better about the whole thing if I knew what was going on."

"Don't you trust Maggie?" Casey asked mischievously. That got a hostile reaction from the lawyer.

"Well of course I trust her, but she won't tell me what's this is all about either, and now sending the nurse away."

"She won't share the secret, because it's not her secret to tell," April explained. "And it's not ours either."

That made Connor stop for a moment. In a last, weak protest, he said, "You know you're under investigation by the United States Government."

"The Earth Protection Federation," April said with a smile. "Yes I know, and our friends are the reason for that too. And when you asked Agent Bishop for more information, he clammed up real fast."

"Very accurate, Miss O'Neil," Mister Connor said with a sigh. "I just wish I understood."

April suddenly smiled. "Turn around Mister Connor."

As he did so, he saw a series of weapons laid out neatly on the floor. "I don't understand," he said.

"They're letting you know they're here," Casey explained. "They won't let you see them, but they want you to know they're here. They respect you, but they don't want to leave."

Mister Connor knelt down and examined the weapons. "They're martial artists, like Yoshi was. They're the mysterious grandsons Maggie's told me about."

April nodded.

The lawyer nodded heavily. "Very well. I would still like to speak with them, but if they're that secretive, I won't push it. I'd still like to speak to-" Suddenly, he was interrupted by another knock at the door.

Keeping out of sight Leonardo looked out the window. "April, I think it's Maggie's doctor." The sound of Leonardo's invisible voice caused the lawyer to jump.

"Just great," April said sullenly. "He was here last month trying to get Maggie to go into the hospital."

"It didn't work obviously," The lawyer said with a smile. "I'll help you fight him off."

Raphael couldn't resist adding his own two cents from his hiding place. "And if that don't work we can scare him off."

Splinter's voice came through loud and clear. "You will do no such thing, Raphael!"

Leonardo chuckled. "I don't know sensei I may vote with Raph on this one if the doctor is as bad as April says."

Splinter sighed. "We shall see."

The knocking came again. With a sigh, April said. "Okay I'll answer it." She went to the front door and answered it.

There stood a young man with dark brown hair and deep green eyes. He was dressed in a shirt and slacks with a white lab coat. "Oh you again," he said sternly. "I want to speak to Margaret Williams please."

"I'm sorry, Doctor Stern," April said as sternly as she could without sounding rude. "But Miss Margaret isn't seeing anyone right now."

"But Mister Connor is here, and so are you," he said stepping into the house, uninvited. "Maggie's gotten worse, hasn't she? Just like I told you she would. I -"

"You are leaving, Doctor Stern," April said firmly. "Maggie doesn't want to see you. She didn't want to see you last month and she doesn't want to see you now. She wants you to leave her alone."

"I could have you arrested for interfering with a medical emergency, Miss O'Neil," he began but then Mister Connor stepped forward.

"And you would find yourself sued for interfering with a living will. Maggie made it very clear to me that she did not want any medical assistance. It's all in here very plain and very legal."

The doctor frowned, not expecting such resistance. "So you're just going to sit around and wait for her to die!"

"Casey stood next to April. "It beats what you want to do to her, doc, putting her in a hospital and sticking tubes into her. I went though that with my grandma, and it didn't do her any justice!"

"But you don't understand!" Doctor Stern began.

Raphael couldn't stand it any longer. He jumped out of hiding and confronted the young doctor.

"Raphael!" Everyone shouted.

"No, you don't understand!" Raphael said firmly shoving himself into the young man's face. "Maggie is going to die whether or not you do anything about it! You told her that months ago. She told us if she had to die, she was going to die by her rules. She wants to be here surrounded by her friends, and I'll clobber the first person who dares take that away from her."

The doctor was completely flabbergasted by Raphael's appearance. "What . . . who . . . how?"

Casey gently pushed Raphael behind him as he faced the young doctor. "You didn't see anything. In fact, you weren't even here. Now get out."

That seemed to make the young man focus. "I see. Got it. I was never here. Good." He backed away and ran for the front door. In seconds, he was gone.

Now Raphael was standing there in front of April, Casey, and Mister Connor. Suddenly he realized that he exposed himself to the lawyer. His cheeks flushed an embarrassed, copper hue. "I'm in deep trouble, aren't I?" Raphael said to April.

"Real deep," April said sternly. Mister Conner was staring at Raphael with his mouth open in shock.

"This is what Maggie didn't want to tell me about," Mister Connor said to April when he managed to speak again.

"Pretty much," April said with a grin.

"There's a lot more to this story, isn't there?" He asked.

April and Casey both nodded. "Yeah a lot more," Casey admitted.

Mister Connor frowned and sighed. "You're not going to tell me are you?" He asked.

"We'd rather not," April said honestly.

Mister Connor sighed again and gave in. "I think I'm going to say hello to Maggie, and then go home knowing that she is in good hands." He said. "And I'm going to forget what I saw here."

"We'd appreciate it if you would," April said with a smile.

Later, as Casey brought in some Quiznos sandwiches, he heard Splinter lecturing Raphael.

"It was foolish and reckless. What if they tell others about us?"

"I don't think Mister Connor will," April said calmly, trying to diffuse the situation. "Now that he knows that Maggie had a reason for her secrecy I think he'll respect that secret. He'll also keep that young doctor from talking too. He called a little while ago."

Splinter did not look mollified. "Still it was foolish and reckless. What if Maggie's friend had not been here."

"I know, I know, sensei," Raphael said sadly. "I... I just didn't want this guy to bother Maggie."

"I can't blame him there," Leonardo said sadly. "He was frustrating me too."

Splinter sighed sadly. "Nor can I," he said. He still looked angry. "If Margaret was not so ill, I would send you home." Splinter looked at him sternly, but everyone could tell that something else was occupying his thoughts. "Twenty flips on the roof."

Raphael didn't even bother arguing. "Yes, Master Splinter," he said. Without another word to the others, he went up to the roof.

Splinter did allow Raphael to tell Maggie what he had done. It made Maggie laugh, though she worried about them being discovered.

"Ahhh that lawyer friend of yours called Doctor Stern later. He either blackmailed him somehow or at least got him to agree to forget what he saw. He called April and said if you wanted to, he'd put all your business in her hands and he'd have the papers drawn up tomorrow."

Maggie smiled. "I asked him to do that several months ago, but he was so suspicious. I'm glad he's doing it now."

"I think he understands now why you wouldn't say anything. I kinda got the feeling that, now that he's seen me, he knows he's better off not knowing what's going on." Raphael said with a grin.

Later, while on the roof watching the stars with Leonardo, Raphael said, "It was worth getting in trouble with Splinter to see Maggie smile like that. She's glad that April will be in a position to take better care of us."

Leonardo laughed. "I'd think you'd be resentful that she would think we'd need taken care of."

"Not in Maggie's case," Raphael said with a laugh. "The first thing Maggie ever said to me was that she was our Aunt Margaret. She's a grandmother type. No matter how old you are, she's gonna take care of you." Then Raphael sighed. "I just wish we could take care of her."

"We are taking care of her," Leonardo said firmly. "Remember what you told Doctor Stern? We're helping her by allowing her to die by her rules. Look how happy and relaxed she is. It's the best thing we could possibly be doing for her."

Suddenly, **and** without understanding why he was doing so, Raphael said, "There is something else I have to do for her."

That puzzled Leonardo. "Raph?" He asked.

Raphael took in a deep breath. "When I went in with Maggie earlier, she asked me for a favor, a big one. I...I don't think I can do it on my own without help."

"Okay," Leonardo said evenly. "Tell me what you have to do."


	7. Chapter 7

Farewell Dear Friend

Chapter 7 Goodbye Maggie

Disclaimer: The TMNT belong to Mirage sigh

Maggie was still in bad shape. Splinter didn't want to leave her. Since April and Casey had chased anyone away who didn't know the turtles, the group took to sleeping in the house in shifts. When Raphael was finished with his turn he fell asleep with his back against the foot of the couch.

The sound of several new and strange voices caused Raphael to stir. "Huh? Who's there?" he muttered sleepily. Usually he woke up instantly like the others, but for some reason he couldn't get his brain in gear.

A very familiar voice calmed him. "Shhh It's all right, Raphael."

"Maggie?" Why couldn't he wake up? His body was unresponsive. He could smell fresh-cut grass and feel the warm sun on his skin, but he couldn't open his eyes. The strangest thing was that he wasn't alarmed at not being able to move. In every fiber of his body, he felt a strange peace he had never known before._ I've got to be dreaming or something,_ he thought mildly, yet still completely unconcerned about himself. Yet, Maggie was here and he was worried about her.

"Maggie what are you doing out of bed?" he asked. In all the time he had known her, Maggie was never out of bed, except to go to the bathroom.

"It's all right," Maggie repeated. Raphael lifted his head, and forced his eyes open. His vision was slightly blurry. He saw an unfocused world of greens and blues. Maggie was kneeling at his side. For some reason she looked far younger than he could ever recall, and she was wearing a beautiful old style flowered dress. "Shhh go back to sleep," Maggie whispered in his ear. Then she added, "Tell Leo that his garden is very pretty, but I think I'm going to plant a few rose bushes to add some more color to the place."

It was just too hard to keep his eyes open. Raphael shut them again, and mumbled an affirmative. He felt her hand squeeze his arm gently, and he was almost back to sleep when suddenly he remembered something. The only time Leonardo had mentioned a garden was the time he had told Maggie about his two near-death experiences.

Raphael shook his head forcing himself awake. He sat up quickly, shifting the couch at his back as he did so. For a second he thought he still saw that beautiful green-blue place he had just dreamed about, but then he was back at the foot of the couch with the others grumbling around him.

"Raph, it's not my turn yet," Michelangelo mumbled half asleep from his spot on the couch. "Go back to sleep." Michelangelo rolled over and began snoring gently.

Leonardo, who shared the floor with Raphael, rolled over and looked up worriedly. "Raph, what is it?"

"Leo," Raphael whispered, trying not to wake the others. "I...I just had this dream, but it felt real and…" Raphael put his hand to his head. "It felt so weird! I was asleep and I couldn't wake up and - " he broke off as Donatello came down the hall. His face looked haunted. His mask was off and the area around his eyes was coppery colored as if he had been crying. That was when Raphael knew.

"Don?" Leonardo asked puzzled. "Donnie, what's wrong."

Raphael reached over and shook Michelangelo. "Mikey, wake up,"

Donatello just stood there as if he didn't see any of them. Michelangelo woke up and glared at Raphael, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Raph, I told you it's not my turn yet and, OW!" Raphael grabbed his arm and squeezed until Michelangelo quieted down.

"Not now, Mikey!"

Leonardo got up from the floor in a single fluid motion, and moved over to the rigid Donatello. "Come on, Donnie, tell us what's wrong."

Raphael looked up into Donatello's eyes and then bowed his head, feeling as if a hundred pound weight had just crashed into his emotions. He didn't wait for Donatello to tell them. "Maggie's gone," he said

Still not fully awake, Michelangelo asked, "Gone? Gone whe-,"but even as the words came out of his mouth, he realized what Raphael had meant. "Oh," he said very quietly and then didn't say anything after that.

April began to cry quietly. Casey put his arms around her and held her.

Leonardo looked back down the hallway. "Don, what about Master Splinter?"

Finally, Donatello came out of his paralysis. "He . . . he said he wanted to be alone with her right now."

Raphael suddenly found the house tight and confining. He needed to get where he could feel the air on his face. Without a word to the others, he left the living room and went up the back staircase onto the roof.

It was three in the morning and it was drizzling slightly. The rain didn't bother Raphael at all, though. In fact, it was cool and felt good on his skin. He sat there on the roof for a while, not thinking but just experiencing the feel of the rain striking his shell and skin, and the smell and taste of the water in the air. Finally, he began to think about the dream he had earlier and how he felt about it now. He always thought he would be angry when Maggie died, but he wasn't. He wasn't sure how he was feeling for the moment. As upset and angry as he wanted to be, Raphael couldn't shake the image of the dream out of his head. He remembered the scent of green grass, the warm sun, the wonderful peace that kept him from waking up, and the message that which was stuck in his head now.

_That couldn't have just been a dream. No way, but then what was it?_

"Raph?" Leonardo's voice cut through his thoughts, but he decided not to be annoyed about it. Especially when he realized the sky was growing brighter. "Raphael have you been up here the whole time? It's almost seven o'clock!"

"I had to get outside," he said flatly. He just didn't have any energy with which to be angry. "I...I had to think. Leo, I had the weirdest dream just before Don came out."

Leonardo dropped his voice as if staying quiet was going to make a difference in how Raphael felt. "You were going to tell me about it," he said quietly.

"I...I was someplace else, but I couldn't wake up. Maggie was there, and she said everything was okay. She said..." Suddenly tears started welling up in his eyes and he couldn't stop it. "Leo, she said your garden was pretty but she wanted to add a few rose bushes to it." Once the words were out, he felt the tears trickle down his cheeks. Why was he crying? Didn't the dream mean that Maggie was okay? Wasn't this what she wanted? All of his emotions were so confused, that he wasn't sure what to think.

Behind him, he heard Leonardo swallow hard. "So that's how you knew," he said. Leonardo took two steps forward, and placed a gentle hand on his brother's shell. "Maggie made it a point to say goodbye to you."

Raphael turned to Leonardo and, to his surprise, saw a few tears in his brother's eyes as well. "Why are you crying?" he asked as he rubbed the offending tears from his own eyes. "I mean, you know better than any of us know that's not the end of her."

Leonardo smiled. "Because I'm gonna miss her," he said with a great sigh. He drew closer and gazed out at the morning sun peering through the clouds. "Knowing where she is and that she's not alone doesn't make us miss her any less or fill the empty place inside." He coughed twice then shook himself out of his melancholy mood. "Come on," he said, sounding more like his normal business like self. "April called Maggie's lawyer and a few other people she was told to call. We have to get underground for a while until everything's settled."

Raphael nodded and began to follow Leonardo reluctantly back to the sewers. Donatello and Michelangelo were waiting just below the street for them.

"Where have you been?" Donatello said nervously. "We were starting to get worried."

For someone as straight edged as Leonardo, he was very good at lying. "Raph just needed to blow off some steam," he said evenly. "It's okay now."

Raphael looked at Donatello and Michelangelo's faces. It was obvious they hadn't been the only ones crying this morning. A thought crossed Raphael's mind and he looked at Leonardo mischievously. "Leo you didn't tell them what I told you."

"What?" Donatello asked a bit cross. He probably didn't know what could be funny right now.

Leonardo did, but he looked puzzled. "I thought it was going to only be us," he said.

"What?" Michelangelo now echoed Donatello's thought.

"Nah," the more he thought about it the more Raphael knew he was right. "I think it should be all of us."

Leonardo nodded. "Good, I do too," he said sounding satisfied.

"WHAT?" Both Michelangelo and Donatello shouted together.

Raphael and Leonardo both smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 A Promise Kept

Disclaimer: Yes yes we all know! TMNT belong to Mirage.

Thanks to Reibenchaser for editing! I don't say that nearly enough.

Kurai frowned as she looked at the hastily scrawled note. How did they know she liked to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art? How did they persuade the strange elderly gentleman to carry the message for them? How did they know that she would visit on this particular day? All these questions plagued her as she climbed the stairs leading to Belvedere Castle. Again, she looked at the note.

_Belvedere Castle 2 a.m.. Alone and unarmed. You owe us._

There were no other marks on the note to say whom it was from, but it didn't matter. She knew from who it was, just as she knew why they did not identify themselves in the note. She wondered why they needed to speak with her. She looked about at the shadows the cold gray stone castle cast about the courtyard. Shadows didn't bother her. A ninja lived their life within shadows and rarely came out into the light.

_Would that I could live my life within a physical shadow instead of this shadow of deception,_ she thought to herself sadly. She checked her watch again. It was nearly two. Perhaps they changed their mind. What if this was a set up to get her out of the way so they could act against her father? Kurai, angry at the thought, took the first steps to leave the area, when she suddenly heard a familiar voice come out of nowhere and say, "Don't leave Kurai."

Kurai, to her credit, did not jump. She glanced around, but she could not locate Leonardo. It was possible that he was using ventriloquism to hide his location. Either way it was obvious that the Ninja Turtle did not want to be found. "Leonardo?" she asked, puzzled. "What is going on? Why have you called me here?"

"We just want to ask you a few questions, that's all," Leonardo said calmly.

"What kind of questions?" Kurai asked, growing suspicious again. "I will not tell you anything that will help you hurt my -"

"The Shredder can go to hell in a hand basket for all we care," a harsher voice answered. "This ain't about him." _Raphael,_ she thought, _without a doubt, but something is troubling him greatly. His voice is more sad than angry._ Kurai knew that Raphael hid above in the decorative shelters around the courtyard. Either he didn't know she could locate him by his voice, or he didn't care.

Relieved this had nothing to do with her father, Kurai asked, "Then what is this all about?"

After a few seconds of silence Leonardo asked, "What is Hun's real name?"

That was the last thing Kurai expected to hear from any of them. "Why do you wish to know?" Kurai asked in panic.

Michelangelo's voice came from the other side of the stone wall that looked out over the Great lawn. "Chill, Kurai, we just wanna make sure we're right about this before we tell you."

"Tell me what?" Kurai demanded, getting annoyed. Why was this information suddenly so important to them?

"Tell us what Hun's name is and we'll tell you," Raphael retorted.

Kurai wondered if she should or should not tell them what they wished to know. What would they do with this knowledge? Out of the darkness, she heard Leonardo again. "Please Kurai," he said. He sounded so intense, so pained, and yet so full of purpose that Kurai felt compelled to answer.

"His name is Peter Castillo," Kurai said. She held her breath and waited for their reaction.

"And his father was Martin Castillo the wrestler who called himself Atilla the Barbarian?" Donatello's voice asked the next question.

Suddenly, Kurai understood what they were looking for. "Yes," she said. Wondering how they learned these things.

"And his mom, Caroline, died giving birth," Michelangelo added.

"Yes?" Kurai answered, more and more curious. "You are seeking me only to confirm these things? Why?"

From out of nowhere, a throwing star appeared and embedded itself in the wooden pillars of the courtyard shelter. Tied to the star was a letter-sized envelope. Kurai untied the envelope from the star, leaving the shuriken stuck in the wood, knowing the turtles would retrieve it once she was gone. She opened the envelope. Inside was a funeral card. "Margaret Riley," she read. "Nineteen eighteen to two thousand and five."

Even before Leonardo spoke, Kurai had a feeling she knew what they now needed from her.

"Kurai, we need you to bring Hun a message."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Kurai swallowed hard, and tried to look normal. Boldly she walked into the security room. Her father and her Master was having a low voiced conversation with Hun about the security procedures for his farewell dinner in two weeks.

Still trying to maintain her calm facade, she bowed politely to both of them.

"Master," she greeted her father politely then turned her attention to Hun. "Hun, I would like to speak with you privately on a personal matter."

Saki's eyes widened in surprise at her request; it was very unlike Kurai to ask his assistant to leave the room, even indirectly. Hun glared at her and snorted. "Anything you wish to say to me you can say in front of The Master." Hun said sourly.

Kurai would have rather not talk about this in front of Saki for several reasons. She tried again to be diplomatic. "This is not meant to be secretive, Hun. I simply believe you would prefer to receive this news in private."

Kurai saw Saki instantly relax. Maybe he now knew that this wasn't a secret, that it was simply Kurai's way of showing respect for Hun. "Perhaps I should see to something else and…," Saki began to say in order to excuse himself, but to Kurai's shock, Hun interrupted him.

"I said that whatever Kurai wishes to say to me will be said in front of you, Master."

Saki frowned, and Kurai had to hide a smile. Hun was being rude and disrespectful to both Kurai and her father. Under normal circumstances, it would be enough to earn Hun a punishment. To his credit though, Saki glanced at Kurai. Her behavior told him that this news was unusual and he was more curious than angry.

As far as Kurai was concerned, she had given Hun his chance for a respectful private disclosure. If he was going to be a fool about it, then so be it.

"Very well," Kurai said, and made a second formal bow. "Hun, I regret to inform you that your grandmother, Margaret Riley, died yesterday."

Hun, who could take blows from the strongest of men and not move an inch, stepped back in shock. "My..." He couldn't seem to get the word out. Finally, after a moment of stammering, he said, "but I have no grandmother!"

"Your father was the wrestler, Atilla the Barbarian, from the early seventies. Is this true?" Kurai asked.

"I haven't seen my father since I was fourteen!" Hun snapped at her.

Undaunted Kurai continued. "And his only wife, presumably your mother, was Caroline Riley."

"I never had a mother!" Hun spat out.

To Kurai's surprise Saki now spoke. "And yet that is the name on your birth certificate, Hun." Was it her imagination or did her father sound curious?

Hun didn't look very comfortable with this. "With all due respect, Master, why should I care? Even if she is my grandmother, I don't know her at all."

Kurai was now getting angry. Did Hun honor no one at all? Not even the dead? "She did not wish to interfere with your life," Kurai explained, "but it was her dying request that if you were found, you were to be notified of her death, so they you may know her and receive your inheritance." Maybe the lure of wealth would at least make him appear interested.

"I don't need anything from her," Hun glowered.

"Perhaps not," Kurai said sharply. "But it would be honorable to pay your last respects to the woman whose last thoughts were obviously about the grandson she never knew!"

"Kurai is correct," Saki said. "If it truly was her last request to seek you out, then perhaps you should at least go to pay your respects. Perhaps you can learn something about her." Hun still looked very doubtful, but didn't wish to contradict Saki. Saki looked very thoughtful and then said. "I shall accompany you if you wish Hun. I would very much like to know this woman who sought you out only after her death."

Now Hun was stuck, he had to go. He bowed. "As you say Master," he said.

"My Lord," Kurai found herself saying. "I would like to go, as well, and pay my respects to Hun's grandmother."

"Very well," Saki said with a smile of approval. "We shall all go together."

As Saki and Hun left Kurai in the security room, Kurai wondered if she had just made a horrible mistake.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: The TMNT and related characters belong to Mirage. I think we all know that by now. J

Special thanks to Reibenchaser for editing.

Chapter 9 Hun

Kurai had those same feelings again as they all left the limousine and walked up to the funeral parlor's doors. 

Those feelings quadrupled as they walked inside. The elderly man, who had given her the first message, was speaking to a woman Kurai knew had dealings with the Ninja turtles.

When the woman looked up and saw Kurai, Saki, and Hun entering the room, she nearly passed out from shock. Only the obvious anger in her heart kept her on her feet. To her credit, she hid her rage and surprise, and politely asked, "And you are?"

Kurai bowed to the balding gentleman that she had seen in the museum. "Ahhh, Mister Connor, you remember me from the Museum, yes? You asked if I worked with Peter Castillo. You told me that his grandmother had died."

The man now looked at her, puzzled. He knew as well as she did that the conversation never took place, but considering who must have given him the note, he nodded and reached out his hand to greet Hun. "Oh yes, of course, Miss Kurai, and this is Peter, I presume?" He shook Hun's hand firmly, only slightly intimated by his size. "You favor your father, or at least the few pictures your grandmother had of him. She kept track of his wrestling career you know; used to send you birthday cards too."  
**  
**"I received them," Hun said flatly. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Hun didn't know why they were even here. He didn't want this old woman's money; he didn't even know her. He wasn't sure why both Kurai and his Master said he should do this, but now they were here, he couldn't back out now without making the Master look very bad. 

He did remember the birthday cards. He would receive one no matter where his father was wrestling. Two days before his birthday, they would arrive, always with a fifty-dollar bill inside. Maybe if he hadn't run away, she would have continued to send cards, but once he left his father, she wouldn't know where to send them. 

Seeing that the O'Neil woman was present, too, was another shock. Hun was beginning to wonder how Kurai found out about his grandmother. Did it really come from the lawyer here? Or, was something else going on that no one was talking about?

He glanced over to where the coffin lay. The woman lying inside looked old and frail. He wondered how old she was when she had died. As he looked further around, Hun noticed that flowers filled the room. Even without the two wreaths that Master Saki provided, the room looked overstuffed. To the left there was a memory board with many different photographs.

Footsteps made Hun turn around. Even though the O'Neil girl was there, he didn't expect the next person to come in. There he was, the punk Casey Jones; Hun's eternal nemesis.

Hun's hands clenched into fists. Casey's did the same. Instantly April was on Casey and Kurai was on Hun. Kurai reached out and grabbed Hun's wrist, laying her thumb on a painful pressure point. April seemed to be applying a similar grip on Casey. O'Neil whispered something into his ear and Jones relaxed and took to glaring at Hun instead. 

In his own ear, Hun heard Kurai say, "You are not about to desecrate your grandmother's wake or ruin The Master's public persona by brawling here as if you were at a tavern!" She applied a bit more pressure to Hun's wrist and continued to hold it until he calmed down. Hun glanced over to Master Saki. He wasn't happy to see Jones either, but he continued to show his pleasant, public face.

Another person distracted Hun; it was a blond woman with a thick Russian accent. She came over to Hun in tears, grabbed onto his arm, and began to cry. Hun didn't understand half of what she was trying to say. The only clear words to come were. "That dear woman a saint she was. Always so generous. How lucky you were to have her as your grandmother."

Hun had no clue what to do. As far as he was concerned, this Margaret Riley was not his grandmother. He looked at Kurai for help. Her face was neutral but her eyes were laughing at him. She thought this was funny. A pair of young women came over. One was holding a four-month-old child, while the other was a young teen. The mother managed to turn the Russian woman's attention off of Hun, and onto herself. The younger girl watched as they went, commenting, "She was Miss Margaret's nurse."

Now Hun understood who she was. He looked down at the girl and asked, "And you are,"

"A friend of April's and Casey's," the girl said without missing a beat. She looked at him as if she didn't care at all who he was. "And Marie is the one holding the baby. Casey's the baby's godfather." Then, with a complete change of subject, she said. "Oh, don't worry about your boss finding out. He can't get near Maggie, and I didn't do it either. Oh, and by the way, tell your boss leaving town is a very bad idea. Bye!" With that she wandered away before Hun could ask her any questions."

"Is that the girl who is a practicing witch?" Kurai asked behind him. 

"A witch?" Hun echoed. He shrugged. How was he supposed to know? He didn't know this grandmother and most of the people who were approaching him were friends of O'Neil or Jones. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. "Why did the girl say that The Master couldn't get near her?" he asked himself. Curious, Hun strode up to where his grandmother lay in the coffin. Kurai followed behind him.

"What?" Kurai asked. Hun ignored her. When they approached the coffin both bowed in respect. At least he could do that much. He looked inside. She looked frail. Her hair was white and her skin was wrinkled. The mortician had done good work, for it almost looked as if she were still alive and only asleep. She was dressed in a black floral dress that seemed fifty years out of date. Around her neck were her glasses on a chain. In her hands were, expectantly, a bible and a set of rosary beads. Then Hun saw the origami. They were well hidden, but because he was observing his grandmother so closely, he noticed the five little paper animals. One was a little brown rat, while the others were all turtles. Of the turtles, one was blue, one was purple, one was orange, and the last one was red.  
  
Hun nearly exploded right then and there. How dare they…HOW DARE THEY have the gall to claim any connection to her? Before he could recover from the shock to react, Kurai had her hand on his pressure point again. 

"Hun, you can do nothing!" she whispered. "I will not allow you to dishonor her, especially here in public!"

Hun relaxed again, but he felt as if he had been kicked in the stomach. "They told you, not the lawyer?" He hissed back at her in a whisper. 

To his surprise, she did not deny it. "Yes," she said, and then added. "And they did not have to."

That cooled Hun's anger instantly. Kurai was right. They probably took a lot of risks to give Kurai this information for him. "Why would they -" he began but Kurai shook her head.

"They did not stick around for an interrogation," she explained. "I do not know why they did this any more than you do." Gently Kurai pulled Hun away from the coffin to the memory board. At least here, he knew he would see no pictures of the turtles. Most of the pictures were from the fifties and the sixties. One was a wedding picture from nineteen-forty. In it was a man in a naval uniform. 

"That was your grandfather," O'Neil came up behind him. "He was a gunner in the Navy. He and your grandmother were married less than a year before he died at Pearl Harbor."

Hun wasn't sure what to make of that, but Kurai looked unhappy. "I see," she said. 

There was a more recent picture on the bottom, with her looking older, standing next to an Asian looking man. In his hands was a large brown domestic rat. "Who is that man?" he asked. Hun couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen this stranger somewhere before.

"Oh, that was Hamato Yoshi, her last employer." April said. There was no mistaking the hostility in her voice. "He was a martial arts teacher, and a body guard. He was murdered sixteen years ago, and he left all his possessions to Maggie." 

"Murdered?" Suddenly Hun remembered. He knew where he had seen that face before. 

_"He who lives without honor shall end without honor**."**_ Hun remembered those words, the last thing Hamato Yoshi said. He was there when The Master had killed this enemy of theirs. In fact, he remembered the rat that marked him. Suddenly it occurred to him. The master of those turtles was a rat. Could there possible be a connection between the pet and...? No, Hun firmly shook his head in negation. That was a crazy idea. It was impossible! 

O'Neil smiled as if she knew she had struck a mark with him. "One of the things Maggie always said, was that she wished she could have been there that day to call the police. Maybe, then, Yoshi might have lived."**_  
_**  
It was a simple statement, but suddenly Hun felt as if he were drowning in this room that seemed filled with his enemies. Even though the turtles could not be here, he could feel them here as if they were watching him from afar. How many of these strangers knew about the turtles, what did they really know about him and Master Saki? Hun could not stand it a second longer. "I'm leaving," he said harshly. He turned away from Kurai and O'Neil and marched towards the door, only to be stopped by the lawyer. 

"Mister Castillo, if you wish I can go over your grandmother's will with -"

"I don't want anything," Hun said, growing angrier by the minute. He had to get out of there now! "I'll sign whatever you want, but I do not want this woman's money. I never knew her and I want nothing from her!"

He wasn't really surprised when the lawyer happened to have that particular document with him. "Then if you'll just sign here," he said. 

Fine," Hun put the paper down, snatched up the pen that Jones offered. He signed his legal name and then left the funeral parlor. 

He held the limousine door open for Master Saki and Kurai. Just before he entered the limo himself, Hun felt someone behind him and something pushed into his free hand. It was the O'Neil woman. 

"I told you -," He said but she cut him off. 

"You wanna know why? She asked in a whisper, "Here's why," and then she walked away. 

Hun stared down at the envelope. It was an ordinary plain white envelope with only a red wax seal to distinguish it. Hun glared at the envelope and shoved it into his pocket before he got into the limousine.

It was hours later when Hun found the time to look at the contents of the envelope. The wake had rattled him so much that his temper was quiet out of control. Master Saki didn't fault him, however, he simply told him to take the rest of the night and the next day off to settle himself. Then, he sent Kurai to check on him later that evening. 

"Do you believe it was their intent to make you uncomfortable there?" Kurai asked from his doorway. "It would not be logical to invite you to the wake, only to then make you feel as if you were not welcomed."

"It wasn't them," Hun said absently from his bed, not even knowing why he bothered to answer her. 

"I looked up the file on Hamato Yoshi," Kurai said conversationally, "He was an enemy to the Foot and was killed because of it."

"I was there," Hun said sharply, rolling over on his side away from Kurai. "I don't need to be reminded of it."

"You were?" Kurai asked. Hun didn't answer her. After a long silence, Kurai said, "You felt as if the dead were telling you that you were not welcomed. That you violated them by your presence."

Was that what he felt? He knew that Master Saki had some experts on magic and the occult, but he never took any of it seriously. Hun rolled back to his other side, and looked up at Kurai directly. The haunted look in her eye gave him an answer. "You felt something, too?" he asked, sitting up.

"Not from her," Kurai said, "but I sensed many spirits around. I have read about such things, but have never experienced it for myself. Even though their anger was not directed towards me, it was...unsettling." 

At least he knew he wasn't going mad. Curious though, he asked. "Did the Master...?" 

Kurai shook her head. "If he did, he did not confide in me." She told him bluntly. "Nor do I wish to explain my feelings to him. As I said, it was unsettling."

Unsettling was an understatement as far as Hun was concerned. It felt to him as if he was being choked. Kurai was right, the less Master Saki knew about that the better off he was. 

Kurai gave him one more long critical look. "If you do not need anything, Hun, it is time for my evening exercises." Hun waved her away without answering. Kurai bowed and left the doorway, which closed behind her. 

Once Kurai was gone Hun lifted weights for an hour, trying to take his mind off the wake, but the question kept coming up. Why? Why did the turtles bother to contact Kurai, and have her tell him about this woman? He would never have extended the same courtesy to them, and right now, if he ever did see them again, he wanted to pound them into the ground for forcing him to suffer though the wake. 

As he stripped off his clothing to take a shower, he felt his pants pocket crinkle. Inside he found the envelope that the O'Neil woman had forced upon him. 

_"You wanna know why? Here's why,"_ he recalled her words. Without knowing why he was doing so, Hun broke the wax seal on the envelope, took out the two pages of handwritten copy paper, and began to read.

"_Just to clarify things, I'm the one you STILL owe a new bike to, and I'm the one you and your little invisible buddies nabbed once. My brothers don't know I'm doing this, neither does my sensei. Heck, the envelope was sealed when I gave to it April, so if the seal wasn't broken, then you're the only one who's ever seen this, except me."  
_  
Now, Hun believed that he knew which turtle this was. Despite the fact that when they were around each other, all they wanted to do was kill each other, this was the one he understood the most _I hate you. You hate me, and one day one of us is going to do the other in._ It still didn't explain why he had this letter in his hand, but he was sure that none of the others would have thought about giving him this explanation.

Still, Hun continued to read.

_"There are three reasons why we even bothered to tell you that you had a grandmother, that she just died, and she wanted you at her wake. The first reason was that Maggie asked me to. Now don't get me wrong here. It's not because I respect you or thought this was fair or anything. As far as I'm concerned you don't deserve to have Maggie as a grandmother, but she asked me to find you. I don't know if that high-priced lawyer told you or not, but Maggie was a hard person to say no to. The moment she asked me, I knew I'd have to, it didn't matter that I already figured out it was going to be you. Maggie wanted you there, and I wasn't going to argue with her._

"That brings up my second reason. I'm sure you saw our little presents for her, or at least I hope you did. They'll illustrate for you what I'm about to say. I did it because I loved Maggie. We all loved her, and she loved us. And you know what, Hun? You can't do anything about it! You can't hurt Maggie or yell at her, she's out of your reach forever. You can't do anything to us except kill us, and you already want to do that, so it doesn't matter. We were her real grandsons, and we only knew her for two months. She said as much to me and to anyone who knew us. She helped us when we were little, giving us food and supplies. She's the one who went out and bought our weapons for our sensei. She loved us, and nothing you can do can take away the love we shared with her. Nothing."  
  
Hun almost ripped up the letter and threw away the pieces right then. The turtle was taunting him, just the way their gifts had taunted him at the wake. They wanted Hun to know that no matter who he was, they were not going to stop honoring her. He really didn't want to know anything more about her, but something in him made him keep reading.

_"There was one more reason why I wanted you at that wake. Maggie wanted you to get the chance to know her, and I really do hope you got that chance. The reason we all loved her is that she was a sweet lady with a wonderful and kind heart. There were a lot of times she'd tell us that she wished she could have been there when her old boss, Hamato Yoshi, was killed. She was his housekeeper, and that particular day, when your boss came by, she wasn't working. The rest of us were rather glad she wasn't there that day, or we'd be out a grandmother. I'm almost afraid of thinking what The Foot might have done to her._

"That brings me to my third reason. I wanted to ask you a question Hun. I don't' expect an answer, but I want you to think about it. I want you to think about it for a long time, and I hope that whatever gods you worship, that one day you find an answer. You were there that night when your boss killed our sensei's sensei, Hamato Yoshi. What would you have done if, in addition to Master Yoshi, you found a sixty five year old little bundle of sweetness and chutzpah telling the lot of you where to go and trying to dial 911? You would not have known who she was, and even though you do look a lot like your dad's photo, I don't think she would have made the connection if you were trying to pound her boss into the floor. Don't just put this off either. I want you to think about it. Every time you shake a storeowner down for money, every time you push around the homeless guys in the street. Every time you try to steal an old lady's purse or hurt ANYBODY that you don't know. I want you to ask yourself what would you have done that night if your grandmother had tried to stop you from killing Hamato Yoshi?"  
  
Hun sat on the edge of his bed, dressed only in his shorts, and staring at the opposite wall. His fist clenched at and crumbled the paper in his hand, letting it fall to the floor, with only the faintest of rustles, but he didn't hear it. Everything he knew, everything he was, slowly froze up as the thought kept running through his mind at a breakneck pace.

_What would he have done?_


	10. Chapter 10

Epilogue

_Three months after Exodus_

The leaves were dry and rustled loudly as Raphael wandered through the cemetery. What he was doing was dangerous, doubly so since he brought a little burden with him. He knew he had to bring Michelle back home before her mother arrived, but he'd been dying to do this ever since they got back from the Utrom home world.

He took the snuglie off him, almost laughing at the thought. _If someone told me a year ago I'd be willing to put one of these things on, I'd have had their head examined. _ He cuddled Michelle into his arms and settled down against the tombstone. The grass had recently been cut and the two rose bushes that flanked the grave made the air smell sweet and fresh. After a moment of struggling with the contraption, Raphael managed to free Michelle from the snugli. The little baby was wide-awake and watching him as she always did when they were alone together. Even Casey and Marie were surprised that Michelle never cried when Raphael was holding her. Even if she were sick, she would whimper but never cry, as if right from the start she was positive that Raphael was the answer to every problem she would ever have.

Raphael settled her in his left arm and fished her juice bottle out of his pocket with his right hand. The moment she saw it, her little hands reached for the bottle. "Uh huh, I thought you'd be wanting this," he smiled gently as he watched the baby suck down the juice with gusto.

"Oh man," Raphael laughed as he watched her "There is no way I'm ever letting you learn about booze if that's the way you drink your bottles," he teased. Michelle stopped drinking long enough to give him a look that Raphael mentally translated as "Get real," and went back to her bottle.

Once he had taken care of Michelle, Raphael realized that he had to start. He took in a deep breath and said quietly to the earth next to him, "Hey Maggie. I've been meaning to come on by and say hi, but things got a little crazy the last few months. I'm guessing you know about most of it through your Angel hotline or something. We nailed the guy who killed Master Yoshi by the way. His people don't kill of course, but where he is, he'll never hurt anyone ever again. We . . . we don't know what happened to Hun though. I mean we know he and a bud of ours, Leatherhead, went over the side of the rocket silo when it went off. April and Casey found Leatherhead and nursed him back to health while we was in outer space, but we don't know what happened to Hun. Heck you probably know better than us what happened to him. I know you won't tell us, but if one of your other invisible buds up there could swing by and give us a warning, we'd appreciate it."

That was something Leonardo told him about a week after Maggie died. He didn't know how Leonardo found out, but he knew that, secretly, Raphael was sneaking into the house to try to find out if Maggie was still around. If Master Yoshi was still watching them, even after being freed, why not her? Leonardo patiently explained to him that most of the time, unless it was really important, sensitives never heard from people they knew in life. None of them ever knew Master Yoshi, when he was alive, but they did know Maggie. Still Raphael tried until one night he got an answer, but not what he was expecting. He felt something near him and the strongest image flashed through his mind that he should stop trying. He still wasn't satisfied until he heard Leonardo and Michelangelo complain together that Mikey's little fortune telling abilities seemed to have stalled out. All he was seeing was the present. Splinter told them both, "One should not force gifts such as Michelangelo's into a harness and make it obey your rules. Gifts such as these have rules of their own, regardless about what you might wish. Continue with the crystal gazing from your sorceress friend, but simply allow things to happen. Do not force them."

Somehow, Raphael felt that the message was meant for him as well, and he tried to put reaching Maggie out of his mind and filled it with ordinary things. A week after that, he was rewarded not with a dream but sort of a half dream, half memory of Maggie's goodbye to him. He didn't get any new information, just a reminder that he knew that, wherever Maggie was, she was now happy. He knew, then, that he should just take one day at a time and not worry about Maggie anymore.

But it didn't mean that he wouldn't miss her. He wished he could talk more about it to Leonardo, but two weeks after that dream, Master Splinter had received his vision, and their world took a life-altering turn.

Michelle had finished her bottle and now pushed it away. Absently, Raphael put Michelle on his shoulder and began to burp her. "Maggie," he continued. "I don't know what to think about Hun. Before I knew about him and you, I always thought it would be easy to take him down. Well, maybe not easy, but I wouldn't think twice about it. I mean, I know he's your grandson and everything, but he's a crud. He's a bully at best and a murderer at worst. You know that. I haven't seen him since that night at the Shredder's place and we didn't really have to go toe to toe, but what am I going to do now? " Raphael sighed and began to shift Michelle back into her snuglie. "I guess I shouldn't worry about that, right? I mean, it's not like I'm gonna get a cosmic answer or anything. I guess I have to work things out on my own."

Once Michelle was back in her snuglie, it was time for Raphael to struggle into it. "Okay, Maggie, I've got to be getting back to Marie's place. I mean, I am babysitting but she hates for me to keep Michie here out past dark. If she found out I brought her here, she'd probably want my shell for a new planter."

"Then we'd better get the little munchkin home, don't you think Raph?" Michelangelo's voice came from right behind him. With one hand on Michelle, Raphael spun around and drew his sai. Once he saw that it really was Michelangelo, he relaxed.

"Geeze, Mikey, what are you trying to do, scare me to death? What if I dropped Michelle?"

Michelangelo giggled at that. "You? Drop her? You practically need a crowbar to separate you two, as it is, Raph." Instantly Michelangelo reached out for Michelle, plucked her out of her snuglie, and raised her over his head.

Two more sets of footsteps came up next to Raphael. "You left your shell cell at Marie's house," Donatello chided gently, "When we saw that you took some of her stuff, we figured you might come out here."

Raphael couldn't look Leonardo in the eye. They had had this discussion before. "I just wanted to drop by and say hi to Maggie," he said, as if that was normal. "I haven't gotten the chance since we got back to Earth."

Leonardo didn't scold or lecture. He just glared. Ever since they returned from the Utrom homeworld, that was all Leonardo did.

To break up the tension, Donatello said, "we had a feeling you've been thinking about Maggie lately. That's why we thought to look for you here. Come on, we brought The Battle Shell. The temperature is dropping lately, and we don't want the baby to catch a cold."

Michelangelo was still holding Michelle over his head when, suddenly, Raphael remembered the bottle. "Mikey don't…I just - "

Almost right away, a yellow white liquid spewed from the baby's mouth, hitting Michelangelo in the face with surprising accuracy.

"…gave her some juice," Raphael finished between laughs. Donatello laughed too.

Annoyed, Michelangelo used Raphael's sweater for a rag. "What is it about this kid that every time I pick her up, she nails me like this?" he complained.

Raphael retrieved Michelle from Michelangelo and gently cleaned her face with a spare diaper from his pocket. "Maybe cuz you're the only one to treat her like she's a milkshake. Geeze, Mikey you're making a wreck out of my sweater."

"We have to go," Leonardo said sternly. Without waiting for the others, he marched back to where he had parked the Battle Shell.

The three watched Leonardo leave, all giving a collective sigh. Very gently, Michelangelo took Michelle again from Raphael. "Here I'll take her and try to cheer Leo up."

Raphael watched Michelangelo follow in Leonardo's tracks. "Good luck cheering Mister Personality up," he muttered.

"Easy, Raph," Donatello chided gently. "Leo's going through a tough time right now."

"I know. It was just that he was so calm about things right after Maggie died, and now it's like he's forgotten all that positive stuff he told the three of us." Just then an odd thought occurred to him. "Don, do you think Leo forgot about all that stuff he told Maggie? You know, about when he was poisoned and stuff?"

Donatello frowned in thought. "It is possible. Remember what he told us about his near death experiences? He said he had to work at not forgetting the Battle Nexus, and that's what made him remember the first time. It could be that he stopped doing whatever it was that helped him hang onto the memories." Donatello coughed uncomfortably and said, "Come on, we'd better get going."

Together, both Raphael and Donatello bowed to Maggie's grave in respect. Just as they began to turn away something brightly colored caught Donatello's eye, "Raph, what color of rose bushes did Casey get for Maggie?"

"White and pink, I think," Raphael said. "At least that's what I told him to get. Why?"

"Check this out," Donatello pointed to the pink rosebush. Nestled among the pink blossoms were two tiny yellow buds. "It's got to be a graft," Donatello said.

Raphael noticed that the two buds were so far apart, that it would have to be two grafts. He couldn't help himself. Raphael smiled warmly. "Maybe," he said. "Or, maybe somebody is trying to tell us something." He resisted the urge to pick the two yellow blooms. "Come on," he pulled Donatello away from his examination of the rose bush. "We've got to get Michelle home, or Marie is going to have four new planters, not one."

Donatello reluctantly allowed Raphael to pull him away from the bush. Together they found and climbed into the Battle shell. Once inside, Raphael threw the soiled sweater at Michelangelo, making Michelle, sitting in her car seat, laugh and clap her hands.

"Eww, Raph you gotta take this to the dry cleaners!" Michelangelo complained.

Raphael laughed, "Oh no, Mikey, you got it dirty, you're cleaning it."

Leonardo was already in the driver's seat. When he saw them all settled in their chairs, he turned the engine on. As they drove away from the cemetery, Raphael took Michelle's tiny hand in his own and stared out his window and thought about those two yellow roses among the pink ones.

_I still miss you, Maggie. We all do. But, we don't know what to do about Leo, now. He needs you or one of your friends to smack him upside the head or something. Watch over us, Maggie, let us know you're still out there._ Raphael knew that Maggie had done that with the flowers, but he knew that the others would need much more proof than a few odd colored roses. Right now, Leonardo would need a smack between the eyes by a paranormal experience for it to have any affect.

"Ahhh," A small voice and a tiny touch on his arm alerted Raphael to Michelle in her car seat next to him. He looked down into her deep green eyes and couldn't help but smile. As long as she had her food and the comfort of others around her, she would be fine. Somehow, staring into Michelle's eyes always calmed Raphael. Suddenly he was sure that everything would be fine in the end. Whatever Leonardo's problems were, they would work out eventually. All he had to do was to wait and be patient with his brother and everything would turn out fine.

A warm sleepy sensation washed over Raphael. He yawned again and laughed to see the baby yawning as well. There was nothing he had to worry about now, so with one hand on his goddaughter, Raphael closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift into a deep and peaceful sleep.


End file.
